Chiclone

I want my money back. Nobody told me that Chicago gets tornadoes. This week there were warnings for the worst storm Chicago had seen in 70 years. Winds coming off Lake Michigan were projected to have the strength of a hurricane. Which is neat. It was supposed to hit its climax at 4 am. I live in a little studio apt right off Lake Shore. So this made me pretty nervous.
I asked around to a couple friends about what we should do. I was told that so long as I stayed clear of my windows I should be fine, and that if it got really bad that I should go into my bathroom. Also, that I would hear the tornado sirens peeling through the neighborhood to warn me. This didn't sound promising. I went to the store to buy some food storage and water, just in case the power and water went out. In hindsight...my purchases were not very smart. I bought a tub of yogurt, salad, veggies, chicken, orange juice, all kinds of things that needed to be refrigerated.....but also, I bought a ton of ramen...which would not taste as good if the water and gas went out anyway.
Well, it didn't take very long for me hanging out in my apartment by myself to decide to migrate inland a little. A friend of mine invited me to come stay at her place, so I didn't have to brave my first intense midwest style storm alone. It turns out, that night wasn't too bad. I did hear a lot of sirens, and I think I mistook a motorcycle for a tornado warning once....but aside from Tiffany talking in her sleep, the night was pretty uneventful. Phew.
Don't get me wrong, the wind was fierce and stuff had blown all over the streets, tree branches were everywhere and stoplights had lost power. But this was no where near the intensity I had mentally prepared myself for. It did ruin my big movie debut, production got all kinds of messed up and consolidated. The worst was supposed to have hit that morning. But that night my entire neighborhood and surrounding area got knocked out. I felt like I was in a scary movie. All the street lights were out. It was terryfying to walk on the streets. When I got into my building there were emergency candles lit on the floor and there was the dull sound of an emergency alarm. None of the emergency lights were working. I had to walk through the halls, up the pitch black steps to get to my dark apartment. Who needs a haunted house for Halloween when you've got Chiclone?
All in all, I survived. It was not as bad as predicted. Though it made for an adventure, to be sure, I came out just fine....the worst of it was only a little bit of spoiled food. I'll know better next time.