That must have been terrifying. I lived in Columbia for 4 years and remember how frightening it was during those storms. Now I'm in North Dakota and we get tornadoes here, too. They scare the heck out of me, having grown up on central New York, which hardly ever gets them. They're so unpredictable.
My husband's a weatherman and used to go storm chasing. No, thanks! One sign of those ominous clouds and I am huddled in the basement under the stairway.
You're right, it could have been a lot worse. All that plate glass! <shudder>