ktravula – a travelogue!

Storm Chaser in Joplin

We arrived in Joplin, a town at the southernmost part of Missouri a few miles from the state line, a few hours ago. Here it was where over 200 people were declared dead or lost from the EF-5 tornado of a few weeks ago. I’m in company of two friends, and we have come to join the volunteer efforts of a non-profit organization ServiceInternational.org along with several other volunteers from around the country.

The ride from school to this place took four hours and thirty-five minutes, and it took us virtually through the state itself, covering about 300 miles. We will be here till Sunday helping move debris, giving a hand to US Marine Corps helping with reconstruction, and generally being of help to the numerous folks on the ground helping to get this community back on its feet. It promises to be a satisfying, and learning experience.

I’ll try to post pictures as often as I can, but won’t promise. I will however tweet short observations through my phone as much as I can, so follow me on twitter.Tomorrow will be a long day in the field.

 

Storm Chaser in Joplin was published on June 18th, 2011, with the tags , , , under the adventures, Observations, Travelling category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Back on the Road

Driving for long hours requires more than just a strong will. Stamina also helps. And when the driver has spent previous days in the comfort of a good house and long hours of rest, it might be a lot easier than a sleep-deprived grad student taking three courses in one semester. The last time I drove for such a long distance, it took the alertness of the fellow passenger in the front seat to prevent the car from going off the road in a brief second of a careless shut eye. We were heading to Kansas City, five hours away. This time, there was no such instance, or even a minor risk. A strong body, a strong mind, a good healthy conversation, and a wide open road with pleasant breeze kept us all alert, and at ease.

The only other observation about this journey other than the presence of a large noticeable number of signposts advertising porn and “pleasure stops”, and smiling co-commuters racing with us in different cars at over 70 miles an hour, is the incredibly long and winding nature of the one road that took us on over 280 miles of the whole trip. Ah, and large trucks transporting whoknowswhat. It’s hard not to make comparisons with the roads on the way from the south of Nigeria to the north. The only difference will be the quality of the tar – not cars.

 

Back on the Road was published on June 18th, 2011, with the tags , , under the Uncategorized category. There are currently no comments on this article so far.

Riding the Storm

There was a huge tornado in this area four weeks ago, and I was in it. It was a most frightening experience. I was returning home from campus, and it ended with my car being spun 360 degrees and tossed off the road along with the meal of fries I had just bought at McDonald’s. (It gives a new meaning to “taking the car for a spin”, doesn’t it?) Luckily I wasn’t hurt, and neither was the car. But by the time I read the news and saw what it had done to the airport in St. Louis that same night, I knew how much luckier I had been. It moved planes and cars, broke glasses and knocked down electric systems. Since then I’d sworn never to ignore tornado alerts.

The biggest storms I’ve ever experienced in Nigeria usually happened at night. There have been tornadoes but they are rare and spaced out so I’d never actually been in one. They’re deadly nevertheless. Imagine walking in the rain at night and have the wind throw an aluminum roof straight at your jugular or at your car while you drove. Just a few years ago, father went to bed in a large house of two storeys and woke up with an open roof. The whole roofing frame had been moved a few miles down the street. My grandfather’s house once suffered the same fate many years later.

The houses in America are built differently, it seems, and thus suffer a seemingly greater damage. Then there is the powerful wind running at such speed that can wreck anything in its way. Two days ago, another big stormed roamed this parts and killed about 117 people from Missouri to Minnesota. Pictures from Joplin MO looked like a war zone. When people say “be thankful for little blessings”, I guess they mean that one should be grateful for not being in a place like this when the storm comes. It is a frightening, and often devastating experience.

UPDATE: President Obama has promised to visit the town on Sunday.

 

Riding the Storm was published on May 24th, 2011, with the tags , , , , under the Observations, Soliloquy category. There are currently 4 comments on this article so far.