The Top Five “Don’t” List During and After a Tornado

When the idea for my current book, DEAD IN THE WATER, came to me I knew I wouldn’t have to do much research. And I didn’t. In June 2015, an EF3 tornado tore through my hometown of Coal City. My mother and nearly all my relatives and friends had damage to their homes. Although I had been through many tornado watches, warnings, and touch downs, this was by far the most destructive.

My husband and I rode out the storm in the next town over, huddled in our laundry room desperately attempting to get information from our weather radio. The only contact I had was one cousin whose texts miraculously were getting through to my cell phone. This experience, as well as the immediate aftermath, was incredibly emotional, shocking, and more than a bit eye-opening.

During the next few days, with many of the townsfolks without electricity, water, or shelter it was interesting to see how people reacted. Some were a godsend and others were sent from the other, hotter, region.

As my husband and I worked the rest of the summer helping our friends and relatives with everything from removing debris to dealing with their insurance companies, I began to think about how the characters in my fictional town of Scumble River would behave.

Once I had that thought, I immediately started collecting newspaper clippings and taking notes. I still wasn’t sure how the story would unfold, but I knew that in Scumble River it would all lead to murder.

As I started to write DEAD IN THE WATER, I came up with the five worst things to have happen during and after a tornado.