On The Inside Looking Out: The aftermath of a tornado....living with PTSD

An EF3 tornado hit Snow Hill, North Carolina, at 5:55 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2011. I was there. I was inside it. I witnessed what most people never will, but I survived physically that is. The National Weather Service reported that this tornado was 400 yards wide and 18 miles long with sustained winds from 145 to 160 miles per hour. It was one of twelve tornadoes associated with three super cell thunderstorms in eastern North Carolina on this date. It was the worst tornado outbreak in North Carolina history, totalling 31 with 16 rated as EF2 and EF3. Many people think Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an imaginary disorder, symptoms that people invent. Trust me; it is not. Here is my story and, I hope after you read it, you will better understand the effect that trauma can impose on a person s mind, changing them forever. I never dreamed my life would be affected like this, but it is and continues to be.