May 20th Tornado

It's been a crazy few months and this entry has taken a long time to write since there is so much to say!

Wow what to say about what happened to our community and family! We knew all day on Monday May 20th that there was a threat of severe weather. Luckily Jeff is off work on Mondays but Jensen was at school so me, Jeff and Jorden took cover in the master closet as it kept getting closer to us. A monster mile wide EF 5 tornado was headed straight for us. We were beyond thankful it took a sharp right turn just 8 blocks from our house. Relief was short lived though when we realized it was going toward Momma and sister Carrie's house and my dad's house a few miles east. Carrie was in the storm shelter they just had installed last fall when their house took a direct hit. My mom was at work and texted me to say Carrie was ok but it hit the house. We jumped in the car and went to get Jensen at school before going to get Carrie and to see how bad it was. It was like a war zone and you couldn't tell what anything used to look like. We couldn't stay at what was left of the house because it was dangerous so we waited for Carrie outside the neighborhood but cell phone reception was terrible. She finally made it to my dad's house with her two weenie dogs and Momma came to our house to stay since she couldn't even get close because the area wasn't safe. We didn't have power but we listened to the radio reports of kids trapped in the two schools that were hit and rescue workers going to each house looking for victims.  

 

Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementary schools being leveled and 9 kids dying has been a very sad reality. I just can't imagine what those parents who kissed their babies and sent them to school are going through. My mom's house was right down the street from Briarwood so we are very thankful Care Bear is ok. Sadly, 25 people lost their lives that day and we lost many structures we visit on a regular basis. The bowling alley is gone, a big 7-11 we stop at often and a 2 great parks to name a few 

 

The next morning we gathered supplies and went to see what was left. It was raining which made it harder but we were surprised by how much we were able to save. My dad and Jeff were a big help and we took loads of stuff to Daddy's house to store in his garage. Momma's closet and bathroom were the only areas still intact so she was able to save some important stuff from there. I am SO thankful 2 boxes of pictures survived after a little drying out. From their 3 bedroom house they ended up with about as much stuff to put in half a two car garage. It was a stressful, sad situation but I was proud of my little family for working so well as a team and for having a sense of humor about it. 

Morning after tornado. Where to start?

 

Good view of the storm shelter that saved my sister's life

Momma and Carrie in front of their house

My dad and Jeff in what was left of my mom's bedroom

Momma in her "backyard"

Momma's closet was the only room with a ceiling and walls so her stuff was all untouched. This was lucky since she was able to save her important documents, meds etc. Oh and she was super excited she doesn't have to shop for clothes



Carrie collects Care Bears and she found a few of her stuffed animals

Upside down cars everywhere

After the neighbors helped move Carrie's cars out of the way they were able to dig out some more stuff

They went back and dug more stuff out for a couple weeks then a church group volunteered to
move the debris to the curb for pickup by the city

Huge pile by the curb

Momma on the bare slab

Right after the tornado, the traffic and downed power lines were absolutely awful and made it hard to get anything done
This person made a sign that everyone agreed with

Stop sign at the corner of their street

This makes me sad since there were some things from my childhood Momma had saved at her house
My Grandma Betty gave me this little red wagon for my 1st birthday

Momma digging in the living room. The clock on the fireplace had the batteries sucked out
and is stuck on 3:20, the time the tornado hit. Gave me chills

This huge power thingy looks like its doing a side bend. Shows how strong the storm was

This is what a huge tornado looks like on radar

I thought this heart made of debris was neat

There's a farm around the corner from us that always had 5 cute donkeys that we always enjoyed seeing.
The property was really damaged and we were worried about them until the owners painted a sign for everyone

The outpouring of love and support from all over the country has been really great.
My MOMS Club of Edmond friends even gave them this little house filled with cash and gift cards. So sweet!