It's been a long time...

So, it's been a long time. Hopefully, now that school is out I will blog more often. I make no promises, but I do have great intentions. I promise.

The last 24 hours have been the most exhilirating of my seven years in journalism so far. Last night shortly before this time, I was just getting back from the magistrate's office. I was planning on going home early. Little did I know, that simply was not in the cards. Instead, Cyndi Brown, my fabulous editor, told me that a hurricane had touched down in Belgrade -- right before the Onslow County line. So, I went from my desk to my car.

I drove in the pouring down rain, with my hands clenched. If both hands were not on the wheel, I had a cigarette in one. Sometimes a cell phone. I could not reach where the tornado struck because the road was closed. A tree had fallen across the highway. So, I turned my car around and went back to the office, where I proceeded to call everyone from the Sheriff to Emergency Management. There were six injuries, all minor, but an awful lot of damage. That was the front page of today's edition.

Last night, it was estimated that there were 15 to 20 structures damaged, including one variety store that was positively demolished.

This morning, I woke up early. Well, early given the adrenaline I had last night. I was at the scene by 8:40 a.m. When I got there, I began walking down Swansboro-Belgrade Ext. Road. The damage was amazing, in a non scary way. When Timmi Toler arrived on the scene (she's an AMAZING columnist/feature writer/overall guru at The Daily News), we worked seperately. She talked to the owner of the store, while I talked to a man whose race car was picked up out of a field and placed between two buildings. She talked to a man whose son went to training for the National Guard on Friday, while I talked to two neighbors who both watched the tornado come towards them. She talked to a man whose trailer flipped while him, his wife and daughter weere in it, while I parked the car on the side of the road and walked to meet her. However, I got the photo that immediately went on the Web site with the initial story.

Within three hours, we had every single word of a 55 inch story that has been online since about 2 p.m., as well as will be in the print edition of The Daily News.

Hearing those people's stories, seeing the destruction, dodging fallen wires and stepping over puddles... THAT is what makes journalism worthwhile.