How did I get here? It felt like a dream. I was in a laundry room with complete strangers, a candle giving us light. I just sat there staring off into space, wanting to sleep, but knew I could not sleep there. To my right was another college student, who had come to this house to seek shelter from the danger facing her apartment. Across from me was a dutiful husband paying close attention to his six month pregnant wife. In front of the washing machine was the owner of the house, a reserve officer, on the phone with the sheriff’s department. His wife was to my left, freaking out about the broken window upstairs and her cats that she had in a cage in the room.
How did I get here in this house I had never been in before, with people I had never seen before let alone met before?
It was Wednesday, the last day of finals for Southern Adventist University, and what a day it had been, three tornado warnings and students still had to take finals with the sirens going off. But like always they were only warnings and nothing happened. In just two days it would be graduation weekend. Now that students would be leaving, I would have a chance to slow down and catch up on my crazy busy semester. I came home to an empty house, a messy kitchen and the dog locked up in the garage. I opened the garage door for the dog to get some fresh air then sat down for a lunch of leftovers. Leaving the kitchen cleanup for later, I went upstairs to make some phone calls. At 7:52 I decided to call Owen & Neva. I mentioned to them how the storm was picking up again. The line went dead at 8:18 just as we were starting to say goodbye. I called back at 8:20 and told them goodbye. I sat in my room for a while longer, writing some notes, and deciding who I should call next. At 8:26 pm Lizette texted me saying "How are you? We were about to leave and then it got bad again!"
Lizette’s text reminded me that I had left the kitchen a mess and that the garage was open. I responded to her text and went downstairs taking my cell phone, the keys to my car, and my iPod touch. At 8:28 I texted Lizette: "I'm enjoying the storm. I wish Amy was here so we could go run in the rain."
8:28 text from Lizette "Yeah right! It’s deadly out!"
8:30 text to Lizette "that's why I won't go by myself”
I closed the garage door. The wind had picked up and had blown debris into the garage so I swept it out before shutting the door. As I walked into the house, the electricity blinked. Nothing out of the ordinary, thunderstorms do that. I went to the kitchen to do the dishes, put my iPod on to play music, thinking to myself how stupid that was since the power just blinked and the internet wouldn’t play the music. As I thought about no power, I realized that I should get my flashlight, which is upstairs. The power went off. I went upstairs to my room and found my flashlight right away.
You must understand that I love thunderstorms. I love to listen to the rain, and see the lightening. But I was beginning to get a little worried. While in my room retrieving my flashlight, it seemed like the house was shaking. It finally clicked that I should get to the basement. I ran down the stairs to the main floor, running to the basement door. As I opened the door a gust of wind blew up the stairs and I knew that I could and should not go down stairs. But where else could I go? I tried to shut the door, but the wind was too much, so I left the door open and stood in front of the closet door right beside the basement entrance. As I pressed my body against the closet door, standing in the short hallway between the front door and living room, I remember thinking “this has to be a dream” and “I wish I was on the other side of this door, but even if I tried to open it, I would not fit, it is so jam packed with boxes” and “there is nothing to hold onto except the doorjamb but I can’t grip it that well, if the wind gets really strong, I will get blown away” and “was that the front door?” I didn’t move; I just stood there clutching my cell phone in one hand and my flashlight in the other. I did not feel the wind blowing behind me, or resist getting sucked up into the vacuum that caused the front door to get blown out and its frame to be displaced.
After forever, the wind died down enough for me to feel safe enough to move to the front room. I sat against the wall between the piano and a book shelf that is attached to the wall. I could feel the brick wall behind me shaking and I continued to freak out. At 8:33 I called home, but the call did not go through. At 8:34 I called Lizette. Through my tears and hyperventilating I manage to get out “don’t come home!”
“Are you ok”
“I’m fine, just don’t come home”
“Ok, but are you ok?”
“I’m fine, but your house in not ok.” I lost the phone connection with Lizette and then went to the basement. As I walked through the rubble in the basement to get to the back room, I debated which room would be the safest. The room in the back was the safest, except that the door is directly in line with the outside broken door. I decided that it is my best location. I picked up a camping mat and sleeping bag, closed the door and sat in the back of the room beside the brand new hot water heater.
At 8:37 I called Heidi. She did not answer fast enough, and I realized that I did not want to talk to her but my father. I hung up and called my dad. “I am just watching your sister fumble with her phone…”
In tears I interrupt him “Daddy the house is gone.”
“What? I can’t understand you” he said with a calm realization that something was wrong.
“Lizette’s house is gone.”
“Are you ok?”
“I’m ok, but Lizette’s house is gone!... I hear footsteps upstairs; I should go tell them I’m ok.”
“Yes, we will pray for you, I love you”
“I love you too!”
As I headed upstairs I heard voices, “Is anybody here? Hello!!”
“I’m here, I’m ok” I called back. “I’m alone, I’m fine.”
A young man stood outside the shattered front window and said “I’m your neighbor, you can come stay at my house, do you have everything you need?”
I had my car keys and cell phone; I looked back into the kitchen to see if I could find my iPod. “I smell gas!” another man yelled.
“We need to get out of here!” the young man shouted. I gave up my search for my iPod and exited through the window. As we walked down the driveway a college girl came running up calling for the college student that was living here.
“That’s me.” She came to me and wrapped her blanket around me. The short distance to her house in the rain soaked both of us, even through the blanket. Once inside Sara introduced herself and gave me water and a dry towel. I just sat at the neighbor’s counter not knowing what to do.
8:49 text from Lizette: "What happened? Sorry you are alone! Stay in Touch."
8:52 Daddy called me back. “I’m at the neighbors, I’m going to stay here tonight, and I need to conserve my battery.”
I got other phone calls that night, making sure I was ok, and offering me a place to stay. I wanted to take them all up on their offer of a place to stay, but it was impossible to get out of my subdivision because power lines had been blown down.
The storm picked up again. This time I was not alone, and I was in a safe place, albeit with strangers in a large laundry room.
~~
I slept on the couch that night. In the morning I woke early and slipped out to see my house. When I got there Chris Carey, one of Lizette’s friends, was already there looking around. Half an hour later Lizette came, thus began the day millions of volunteers came to help us move out.
Within these hours of tragedy I have seen so many miracles.
- I was covered by my guardian angel during the tornado, walking away without any scratches, bruises, or embedded glass.
- I made it into the hall before the living room collapsed.
- My cell phone worked Wednesday night with perfect reception (although the next day the reception was horrible).
- I was home alone, which was not preferable, but better than a widow and her three young children being there.
- Lizette’s mom left the day before to go back home to California.
- The love of neighbors, church members, coworkers, Southern Adventist University and family.
Thank you so much for all your prayers. I have been so blessed with such a loving church family. I appreciate all your thoughts, cards, and prayers!!
