“I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” Psalm 55:8”
Does anyone remember the heyday of the storm pit? Yes, in “tornado alley” (a swath stretching from Oklahoma to Georgia) the storm pit was a common sight, especially between the mid-1930’s and the mid-1960’s. Around here they were normally dug into the side of a small hill, usually consisting of about six steps descending down into a 8′ x 8′ cinderblock-walled room. Around the edge of the room were wooden benches, or sometimes a collection of ladder back chairs with cane-woven seats. All storm pits had plenty of candles, matches, and perhaps a kerosene lamp. Moms and Dads everywhere kept their eyes to the sky during stormy seasons of the year– storm pits needed to be used, and used often.