Rebuilding in Oklahoma

This post was authored by Mike Scherlag, MD, FACC, Oklahoma ACC Chapter Governor. Oklahoma is a close knit community.  The destructive tornado that gouged a path across the southern section of our city touched everyone.  It is routine to have bad weather in May. Conditions were ripe for turbulent weather.  Warnings had been given for days.  The same unstable atmospheric conditions that triggered the deadly, but much smaller, tornado in Shawnee on Sunday spawned a tornado over my house that was less reported. My wife was coming back from an amusement park on Sunday and I found myself on the phone directing ("turn south, head south") her away from the wall cloud that eventually transformed into a funnel that touched down on a new outpatient facility that our hospital – a part of the Mercy System – was building. There was enough damage that the opening was delayed for six months. Thankfully, there were no injuries. This storm was only the prelude of a much more frightening scenario that transpired the next day, Monday, May 20. One of our anesthesiologists decided to take the day off on Monday to see the new Star Trek movie. He was at the epicenter of the storm. Anyone watching CNN has seen the devastated Warren Theater where he rode out the event.  It was too late for him to leave even though he had received text messages of the strengthening storm. The structure held together protecting him but the devastation outside the bu...
Source: ACC in Touch Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Special Topics Source Type: blogs