2011 had eventful days where tornadoes touch down in the Chattanooga area. One of those days was February 28. I left my work at 1:30 that day in order to get over to Lookout Valley High School to pick up my child when school let out at 2:15. The drive over from Amnicola to the LV was a trying experience with wicked winds. Going around Moccasin Bend in between Lookout Mountain and the river was a huge down force.
I got in line behind other cars on Lookout Valley High School Drive. Unknown to me at the time, dismissal at 2:15 was delayed. There was a possible tornado spotted nearby.
I found a video on YouTube that someone actually filmed the rain-wrapped tornado coming across Raccoon Mountain pumped storage station. This would be above the car line and a little to the north. The video is embedded at the bottom of the post, but it was described by one tornado chaser as one of the best audio capture of tornadic activity.
Back to the parent line of cars waiting outside of the school, many parents, like me, did not know about the incoming tornadic storm. Suddenly, a fog descended upon the area. Rain and wind mixed rocked the cars. I saw the water rolling in a circle mid-air and then splashing with force onto the windshield. The water kept slamming down. And the car was rocking to and fro.
Suddenly, the fog and rolling water had moved on. I could see big tall trees lying on the ground. At the time, I didn't know what I had gone through.I am thankful to the person who took this video. The sound, the wind, the water reminds me all over again that day.
