Last days of August of 2025, and the sky is cloudless blue. There's a feeling of fall these days, jackets and sweaters in the mornings and evenings. Gardens are still growing, even overgrown, but there's a change in the green, and some tall plants are flopping over, on the verge of collapse. There are mums on sale at the Jewel, now, and sunflowers are at their peak.
The Plainfield Tornado was 35 years ago. The most destructive storm to date in the Chicago area. There was no Doppler radar then, no Enhanced Fujita Scale. It was rated an F-5. You can read Tom Skilling's post about it on Facebook, .here
This also marks the 20-year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, that made landfall along the Louisiana coast, as a Category 5 storm and struck the city of New Orleans, causing damage that is still there, today. Kudzu vines covering what remains of small towns. There is a documentary on Netflix to commemorate the anniversary.
Now, in the light of August afternoons, what have we learned about these kinds of disasters? Where is FEMA now?