STORM2K

Something interesting about tornadoes that seems to get no attention is the experiences humans have when airborne in tornadoes...notably violent tornadoes (EF4+). The ones that survive report very similar experiences and I find it remarkable how each one sounds alike. I know of 4 specific stories off the top of my head but I'm sure I've heard more. One of them was earlier this month during the major tornado outbreak of March 2. Here is how the story usually goes:

"I remember it getting louder and louder until everything starting crashing and falling on me and then I must have blacked out or become unconscious. I remember a brief second when I was in the air opening my eyes to see wood and debris flying all around (one story was a cow flying past). I then must have blacked out and all I remember then is waking up with construction material/debris on me with it raining."

What is fascinating is all of these stories have the blacking out just as the tornado is first hitting them but almost always they remember at least a brief period in time when they are actually in the air seeing the debris. I'm not sure if the experience is so intense/traumatic that your mind actually "shuts off" during when it first occurs. A study on the human psyche could reveal the reasoning. Another aspect to this is the denial of actually being in the air. The mind tricks them into thinking they weren't airborne when in fact they actually were. One quote from a woman who survived the Joplin EF5 tornado that is on the DVD that Twisterchasers Inc. (Jeff P) produced last year (BTW, some of the best tornado footage ever captured and a must own) said, "You don't think you go flying but you do."

Anyone else have stories like that that fit into this mold?

I just found another story of a woman who survived flying in a tornado from the documentary Tornado: Awesome Force (2000):

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyRjuDJ2rnY[/youtube]

It starts at 28:52 on the video. The interview is with Sharon Fisher, who at the time held the world record for longest distance carried by a tornado. In contrast to the other stories I've heard, this woman did not remember being in the air (seeing the debris or whatever flying with her for a brief second) but does recall the moment she got picked up. Her brain must have been stunned at the time she was holding on to the grass thinking she will go flying again. And still thinking she was seated on the horse too.