Hello, and thank you for listening to TornadoWitness.com where each week we interview people from around the country who have witnessed nature's most feared storm.

My name is Darrell Kirk and I am your host.

I was a child living in Illinois when the "1974 Super Tornado Outbreak" took place. It was the worst tornado outbreak in U.S. history with 148 twisters touching down in 13 states. The total loss of life that day was over 330 people and more than 5,000 injured. I still remember the low hanging clouds and dark skies of that day, and how my mother tried to calm my fears of Tornados. Soon after she helped me put together a science fair project on Tornados-- 3 pieces of cardboard taped together to form a backdrop for a tornado made out of cotton balls. Facts and figures about tornados littered the board as if the swirling cotton ball tornado had caused the destruction itself. What I remember most about that diorama, however was the little plastic baby that was placed in the middle of the tornado to show the terrible toll these storms took on human life. I can't help but think that baby symbolized me.

When we moved to Dolton, Illinois a few years later, my mom had once and for all saved me from tornados, or at least in my mind she did. She made sure we bought a house with a basement. I still remember my migration each Spring to the southwest corner of the basement, a safe haven that would save my life in the event of a tornado. From a small makeshift bed I would lie awake at night watching the erie blue flashes of lighting from the small basement windows high above me. I felt safe down there and all I needed to remember was to open those windows during a tornado to keep the house from exploding due to the pressure drop a tornado would bring. Although opening windows to equalize pressure later turned out to be a myth, the basement as a tornado sanctuary is still true to this day. Thanks, mom.

These early experiences with low hanging clouds, sudden green skies, and their human toll have stayed with me my entire life and have molded me as a storyteller and journalist. I look forward to meeting tornado witnesses from around the country and listening to their stories. I hope you will listen too and I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

Again, thank you for listening and all the best.

Darrell Kirk

Host

TornadoWitness.com