By Alan Bean

So many people have contacted Friends of Justice asking if we’re okay, that I thought I’d let you know that we are.  The picture to the left was taken about four blocks from the Bean home, so it was a close call.  This is the second time in five years that we have been three blocks from a devastating tornado (the other one was in Tulia, Texas).

Melanie Wilmoth Navarro, our Director of Outreach, got a good shot of the twister that hovered nearby for over an hour as large hunks of tar paper and insulation mixed with tree limbs rained from the sky  All the damage portrayed in this post was caused by this single tornado.

Several homes in a neighborhood located just north of the Friends of Justice office (and a bit south of the Bean home) were destroyed, and dozens of others sustained major damage.  A wing of a nursing home just up the road was completely destroyed.  A good report on the storm damage can be found here.

Friends of Justice staff took refuge in the meat locker of a Braum’s restaurant across the street from our office.  The chances of any particular property getting hit by a tornado are generally remote, but this one was far too close for comfort.  Power was restored at 2:00 am this morning and life is returning to normal.  Here are a few more pictures I took on the way to work this morning.