Green Skies at Camp Letts

My name is Gianna Combs, I'm 11, and I am living in Bethesda Maryland.

It was Monday, June 24 1996. I had just arrived at Camp Letts in Edgewater Maryland. It was a gorgeous day, not a cloud in sight. After a full day of unpacking and orienting myself, we (my cabin and I) went to the dining hall around 5:30 to eat dinner. All of a sudden it started to get dark and VERY stormy. I was getting kind of nervous because of the storm. My counseler said there was nothing to be worried about, it was just a storm. All of a sudden our power went out and the people in charge told our cabin and some others to run to the boathouse, just across the lawn. When we were running I could see the rain coming down almost horizontally. My friend almost got a tree branch thrown on her knee. When we reached the basement of the boathouse, I was soaking wet and a basket case. My counseler tried to calm me down, but it didn't work. Finally our head counseler came and sat with me ( I sat next to a wooden beam and was hugging it). I asked what was going on and she said it was just a thunderstorm. I said "Yeah Right, then why is the sky green" ( I could see out the door which was blowing open)? She said it wasn't and I was imagining things. But the sky really was green. We were down in the basement for about 20 minutes, and by the end of that I wanted to go home. We were finally allowed to the top floor of the boathouse and they made us play a game of British Bulldogs. Only my counseler and I sat out. When we were allowed to go back to our cabins my counseler told me that we had been under a tornado warning, and that a tornado had hit about ten minutes up the road. All I can say is that that was a very frightening experience and I never want it to happen again.
bngcombs@msn.com

Date:    Mon, 24 Jun 1996 16:39:45 -0500
From:    Charley Kline 
Subject: Tornado Warning -241639 (AUTOMATIC)

ZCZC DD+ 27168
WFUS1 KWBC 242139
TORWBC
MDC003-033-MDZ502-242210-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STERLING VA
540 PM EDT MON JUN 24 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 610 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN CENTRAL MARYLAND

   ...EXTREME EASTERN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY

IN EAST CENTRAL MARYLAND

   ...SOUTHERN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

AT 536 PM DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A POSSIBLE TORNADO IN EXTREME
EASTERN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY NEAR UPPER MARLBORO...MOVING TOWARD
THE EAST AT AROUND 40 MPH TOWARD SOUTHERN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY.

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES...TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY.

THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED TORNADOES AND MAY DO SO AGAIN. IT
IS ADVISABLE TO MOVE TO SHELTER NOW...BEFORE LIFE-THREATENING
WEATHER REACHES YOUR AREA.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IN A HOME
OR BUSINESS IS AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE.
AVOID WINDOWS.

JLW/PAP

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