Our hearts and thoughts go out to the victims caused by this devastating earthquake.

Japan Rocked by Magnitude 8.9 Quake, Tsunami

Ok, so after our adventure at the SmithvilleTrails earlier that day, we headed home to an obvious storm headed our way. We had no idea how bad it was going to be.

After returning home and opening up a bottle of wine to enjoy the evening, we noticed the thunder growing significantly louder. The next thing we knew, the winds were really picking up and it started to pour. Soon after, we heard our house being pelted with hail, and the wind sounded like a freight train. It started out small, but we could hear the hail growing larger and heavier. Then we lost power. We went through the house lighting all the candles we could find when it sounded like golf ball size hail hitting the house. We were in the hallway between the den and the bedroom when all of a sudden, we heard a rumble and felt the house shake. All at once, I looked in the bedroom and heard a crash and saw the bed being shoved against the wall. My first thought was that a tornado was ripping off the end of our house. Mandy was behind me in the den, and I quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room. Just at that moment, the den windows shattered and we felt glass being sprayed on us. We took off running with the dogs close behind. Safely in the other room, we both noticed the eerie silence. Everything seeming so surreal, we went back to investigate. In our master bedroom, we could see that a very large tree had crashed through the window and pinned the bed against the wall. Glass and debris littered the floor and had sprinkled over the furniture. In the den, it had broken the window, frame, and plaster. My first thought was that a tree that I had been meaning to cut down for the last few years had finally come down and into our house. Once the storm subsided, I stepped outside to inspect; it was not in fact the dead tree that had fallen, but an even bigger and very healthy oak tree had been completely uprooted and thrown headlong into the side of our house. And wouldn’t you know it…there stood the dead tree, fully upright, mocking me; and I swear I could hear it saying, “Neener neener neener!”

First came shock, then disbelief, then panic as we realized we had four broken windows and a tree lying inside our bedroom. Mandy was no help as she stood there laughing hysterically at our misfortune. I know this is her way of dealing with stress, but my mind was reeling as I tried to figure out what to do first.

Thankfully, no one was hurt; Mandy, I, and our beloved dogs were safe and unharmed. We were able to seek shelter at Mandy’s mother’s house for the night. In the morning we regrouped and made phone calls to assess the damage and take the first steps to recovery.

The neighborhood looked like a war zone when we drove back home the following morning. Leaves were stripped from the trees; branches had fallen, blocking streets, crushing cars and homes. Reports confirmed that it was an official microburst, but what exactly is a microburst anyway? To me, it looked no different than the aftermath of an actual tornado touching down. People were milling the streets and checking on their neighbors to make sure everyone was safe and not in need of any assistance. It’s times like these when people actually reach out to one another and feel a sense of community.

It’s day 3, and the ball is finally rolling towards getting the house and our lives back to normal. The tree has been removed, and steps have been taken to repair the damages. In the grand scheme of things, I’ve realized this is insignificant compared to what could have happened. I still have my loved ones, Mandy, Fred, and Hobart by my side, still smiling and making me laugh.

Christopher and Mandy

North Kansas City Microburst from Christopher & Mandy Beltz on Vimeo.

Catastrophe struck our household Saturday evening after our event at Smithville! A large tree fell into our house causing severe damage. Pictures will be posted this evening. Check out the video below for an idea of what our area has experienced: