Actual picture of my MIL’s house
In 2015, my Mother in law was hanging out in her tri-level Florida home like any other night during any other Florida storm. When hurricanes are a normal part of life, a little rain and wind isn’t so scary. There were tornado warnings though and at the last minute, she decided to take shelter in the downstairs bathroom. A few minutes later, her whole house was completely flattened to the ground with only the walls around her left standing. I mean, totally flattened. Like a cartoon where a giant smashed a house. Somehow, she escaped with only a few scratches, the memory of that insane experience, and gratitude at being alive. Emerging from the barthroom, shaky, to see splinters of wood where there had been walls, mud, rain, and a soup of detroyed belongings - everything gone - takes the breath away.