We are fine.

I wrote earlier about my fear of tornadoes. I once drove into a tornadic storm on Interstate 57 between Champaign and Rantoul, Illinois. My fear of dangerous weather intensified when I lived in South Carolina and saw the damage created by Hurricane Hugo.

When I moved to Madison twenty years ago, locals assured me that tornadoes were not likely to hit this area because of the city's proximity to multiple lakes. Foolish myth!* Since we've lived here, tornadoes have hit near us three times: Madison's west side in 2004; Stoughton in 2005; and last night, in Verona.

Mr. Irene and I hadn't fallen asleep yet when the sirens went off yesterday. We're normally cautious when the National Weather Service issues a warning, but this one caught us off guard. We were about to head to the basement only as the storm hit, about three miles south of us.

Madison, Wisconsin, June 2004. This was the view near where Mr. Irene's Parents live.

*UPDATE: A meteorologist discusses the lake myth here.

Hurricane Havoc

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Charleston, South Carolina, October 1989. I visit the city one month after Hurricane Hugo's arrival.

"Kiss My / Grits"

Charleston, South Carolina, November 1989. A sign encourages shoppers to visit the shopping district in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo.

Pirates Courtyard

During the two years that I lived in Columbia, South Carolina, Mr. Irene often flew down for a visit. One weekend we drove to Charleston. Because I had grown up in Chicago, I was not accustomed to seeing so many historical buildings in an American city. During that time, I also was an historian, and my area of focus was medieval, Mediterranean piracy.

Charleston is full of pirate-themed tourist attractions. I nonetheless was quite charmed when Mr. Irene and I stumbled on the Pirates Courtyard: 

Charleston, South Carolina, September 4, 1989. I stop at the Pirates Courtyard, on Church Street.

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Charleston, South Carolina, November 1989. I returned to the same spot, shortly after Hurricane Hugo struck the city.