It's an ill wind ...

Well, we could tell it was windy Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

Debris was flying, footballs were doing dances in mid-air, and coaches, players and fans were doing their best to secure anything not nailed down.

But, it wasn't until phone calls from harried family members began pinging the press box did reporters at the Bengals/Titans game realize the extent of the situation's seriousness.

The remnants of Hurricane Ike, combined with a strong cold front, whipped up hurricane-force winds, causing more than 900,000 power outages and numerous reports of damage.

After watching the Bengals bungle their way to a 24-7 defeat, and their first 0-2 start since 2003, I fought my way through the gale and arrived at my car which was parked in a downtown surface lot.

My rear window was shattered, sirens blared as emergency vehicles raced past on streets littered with debris ranging from tree limbs to more substantial chunks of roofing. Then, the horrifying news that four people had lost their lives that day.

It's a Sunday afternoon few Cincinnati residents will soon forget.