What Stands in a Storm: A True Story of Love and Resilience in the Worst Superstorm in History

by Kim Cross

The only way to confirm a tornado is for a human to lay eyes on it. This, in meteorology, is called ground truth. It is one of the most valuable tools meteorologists have today.

Many say you should open the windows in a house to equalize the pressure, let the wind flow through. Not true—most homes have enough air leaks to do that, and the force of the wind is what destroys a house, not unequalized pressure. “Don’t worry about equalizing the pressure,” instructs a NOAA treatise on tornado myths. “The roof ripping off and the pickup truck smashing through the front wall will equalize the pressure for you.”

It was high noon, and to Ashley, the world around her seemed unnaturally bright and crisp, every color more vivid, every smell more intense—natural gas commingled with pine and azaleas. Even the trees that had fallen on the house seemed fresher and greener than before.

“When something like this happens, people forget all their petty differences . . . and we’re reminded that all we have is each other.”

One breath, one step, one day at a time. For some things in life, there is no way around—you have to go through them.

Ari published To Heaven after the Storm,