Our Tornado

[brittneynshaw]

In the last few weeks the south has been overwhelmed with tornados, St Louis, Birmingham, Joplin, ect. On May 25 a Tuesday night at 11:57pm those people on TV were us. News said we would just get straight line winds and at midnight we would be in the clear. My husband said “ we only have 5 more minutes to be in here” here was us and our 4 young children in the hall, as soon as he said the words the power was out then his fire radio (hes assistant chief of the volunteer fire dept) said the words TORNADO GROUND ETNA, ( it was here!) we were hit by a F4 tornado and no one was prepared. we huddled as close together with blankets and holding babies as tight as we could (2 of us and 4 of them…….helpless feeling) we heard it, it went over us, it was LOUD but then the phone calls came and our living hell started. My parents frantic, in their words it chased them as they ran to safety they looked out and everything was gone, somehow their house left standing (they were lucky) at this point I sent a PRAY NOW face book message, and without information the prayer chain started. we took the kids to my mother in laws next door where my bro and sis in law and their 2 boys had went to get out of their mobile home. ( did I mention my husbands 2 bros my bro both our parents and his nanny all live on the same road? All but our 2 sisters) and tried to get to my parents just a ½ mile up the road we went 1 way and trees blocked us, we went the other and more trees. While we tried to get to them (we could see the house but couldn’t get to them, again helpless) all the firefighters in our small no tiny community were trapped themselves and couldn’t get to anyone else, most had damage themselves and a few lost everything. Finally I found my brother and we ran across a large field in the knee deep water, the dark, the lightning, and the unknown to get to their house, while my husband and his brothers (all firefighters) tried to cut their way off the road. My parents live behind a gas well, and it was GONE and gas leaking and spewing into the air we thought once we passed the downed tree we could leave but no there were power lines down all over people started walking to us from we don’t know where we live on a rural dirt road where you don’t see walking but there was no other way then, a girl came with news that her brother in law had been hit so we pile into my dads truck and slip and slide thru a muddy field to get to them. He his wife and their daughter had been in the kitchen of their trailer and it went vertical and collapsed all around them. (had it been tied down it would have killed them) During all this we barley had cell service so our family and friends had been calling and getting no answer so they came, everyone came people we didn’t know from places we’ve never heard of came to help our town. I saw the trees I saw the emergency lights the helicopters the radio going crazy but it wasn’t until the sun came up and we topped the hill that we could see. During all of our trouble another small town across the river and north of us in our county was also hit so all our emergency personal was split. The view showed nothing but debris where houses use to be where our friends and neighbors lived where our children’s friends lived. Houses had literally exploded around the people inside most of the houses had children inside many people were injured 1 mother died, 1 father( with a head injury) got his toddler daughter to their truck and strapped into and safe before he collapsed parents saving their children children worried for their parents. A fellow firefighter left their trailer and hid their family in the tanker at the fire department they saw the fire station get ripped apart but they stayed safe but they lost their home. The first day was taking it all in and many gawkers with no morals, acting as if they were on a tornado tour walking around with their camerals the 2nd day was helping strangers pick thru what use to be their homes and salvaging their clothes and memories. The 3rd day all you could hear were chainsaws and big equipment because people came from everywhere to help the 4th day the piles began to appear ( its been 11 days and the piles have to stay until the president reads femas report and declares us a distaster, bigger cities were hit after ours so we fear well just get pushed off the desk and forgotton about cause were a small Arkansas town) and most had gotten their power back on, this is day 5 and I still cant look at it or even the news, I don’t want to look at anyone’s photos. I was there I lived it I saw I helped with it but I cant handle it, I haven’t handled it I don’t have time. We were lucky! We have an 8 o’clock curfew the army national guard is here to enforce it. If we didn’t feel like we were in a war zone before just have a army truck follow you home, some of my kids are handling it different, we didn’t want to shield them from this but they were worried about their friends most have no home anymore. We’ve had a lot of looters and even more lookers but a lot of helpers too, I don’t know where well be in a week a month or a year, some aren’t coming back. Our town is gone but it is still very much alive.

[brittneynshaw]

Jun. 5, 2011 at 5:40 PM

1 person was killed and at least 18 injured some serious, more than 50 homes were destroyed (this just in our tiny town) the fire department was seriously damaged as well as a church and the carpet store ( thats it thats all the businesses in our town)  our town woke up to a tragedy at midnight but slowely were holding strong. there have been numerous volunteers, people organized by red cross and salvation  army and other rescue services but there have also been random strangers who loaded an ice chest with drinks and snacks and drove up every dirt road and stopped at every house and gave what they had, and they gave a lot, you have no idea unless you were there. almost every home hit had children in it and that breaks my hurt, im just thankfull that they were all ok.

(Original Poster)

[MommaEthel]

Jun. 5, 2011 at 5:58 PM

I can't even imagine! Thank goodness you and your family are safe...so much devastation lately! It makes me wonder sometimes...

[cutesherrie84]

Jun. 6, 2011 at 2:23 PM

oh my god im glad you and your family are okay!!!! do you guys not have tornado sirens in your town or was it just to late for it to go off? did you guys have a basement or storm cellar?

 

[brittneynshaw]

Aug. 26, 2011 at 11:58 PM

i know its a little late now, but no there are no sirens were very ruraland where we live no one has a basement and any storm cellar, ours included, is many many decades old and unsafe. we got in our hallway, we were already there because everytime theres a big storm coming the kids go to bed dressed with a warning that they might be woken up in the night. but since it was so suddent i dont think anyone else even knew what was happening untl it was too late. I was bracing myself for impact I wasnt scared excatly just when we heard the word tornado down, we were just holding onto kids. our younges 3 just wanted to go back to sleep, our oldes 9 was having a panic attact and the other 2 ages 6 and 7 i dont think knew excatly what was going on.  when people were literally rising from the ashes and daylight came thru the chaos and military and volunteers, and emergency personal and all around nosy people we showed our kids what wed been spared from, they got to see it up close an personal cause my parents did get hit and my husband is a fire fighter so at times they were on the "front line" they learned a real lesson so young and they wont ever forget it.

(Original Poster)