Can't it Just Simply Rain Anymore?

I hate sounding like a broken record, I've posted a lot about the flooding rains we've received this spring and summer. However, when it dominates your life and everything you do, you can hardly ignore it.
We were awakened at 2 a.m. with crashing, banging severe thunderstorms, the ping of hail (which can signal a tornado) and rain pelting the windows. That would be bad enough, but we've got two of four dogs terrified of storms. Molly, our red Doxie, who came to us after being thrown into an outdoor 4x4 run when her puppy cute phase was over, tries to climb on our heads. Once we pry her off our skulls and rub her belly and talk to her and she remembers she is safe and dry and not outside, she will usually go back to sleep. But then there's Emma, our Rot/German Shepherd mix, who pants endlessly when she's nervous and storms do it to her (my doing laundry, for some strange reason does it to her too, but that's another post). Of course, then the electricity went out, which set off all the eletronics beeping and warning signals from the battery back up on the computer (we haven't gotten that propane generator yet).
I don't mind thunderstorms, if they're not violent, they're actually a little calming sometimes. But we hardly have those types of storms anymore.
And according to scientists, we will continue to see more of these violent storms:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2007-08-31-severe-storms_N.htm

Now, to try to get to work after a half night's sleep and dog claws on my head...