Feb 5... one year ago

Tomorrow is February 5. Just a normal day for most... and a year ago it was... until night time. I remember sitting in my living room watching tv and surfing the internet. I was mainly on some weather sites because we were in for some bad weather. By 7:00, I knew we were in for it. I remember watching tv and the local news was all that was one with the weather... a tornado had touched down in Jackson, TN at a college. Then they started showing a line of severe weather heading toward my county. I watched it on the radar as it skipped over Nashville and watched the plot the tv mets were giving for the storm. I knew that if it held together we were in the path of a very bad storm.. one that had already produced a tornado. BY 9:00 Don was on his way home from working the election. I had already gathered together some blankets and flashlights in the hall. I gave the kids light sticks to play with hoping it would help them not be afraid of the coming storms. By 9:30 I had the kids in my bed and asleep. At 10:00 the local news came on and were still talking about the severe storms. Not long after that the cable went out. Don's pager had gone off saying we were under a tornado warning. I looked at him and asked if we should move the kids to the hall. I moved both kids sound asleep into the hall laying them on a pillow. I sat down with them and waited. Not long after that a big clap of thunder shook the house and woke the kids up. I grabbed them immediately and the three of us moved into the doorway to the bathroom. Kaitlyn was crying at this point because she is scared of storms. A few minutes later, Don told me that if I would move he would get in the bathroom with us.... that told me it was about to get bad. We lost power right after that which upset the kids more. I gave them their light sticks and turned on a flashlight. Don had his portable radio in the bathroom with us so we could hear what was going on.

As we sat in the bathroom, we could hear the police over the radio talking about a tornado that was on the ground and pushing them forward. We knew that the tornado was near my parents house and I was worried. It wasn't long after that Don left the bathroom and looked out the front window. His response was "Oh My God!" (there was a large orange glow in the sky... meaning a fire) then went to our bedroom window. The kids and I left the bathroom and went into our bedroom. I remember walking up to Don who was standing at the window and then hearing that sound. I remember Don yelling run... I also remember grabbing the kids and running back to the bathroom. Kaitlyn was crying and we had to tell her to hush because we needed to listen. It sounded like it was right outside the house. The time was 10:30.

Once it was over, Don's pager went off... saying... Lafayette Fire Dept, you won't believe this, we have a report of 3 fires. I ran into the bedroom and grabbed a bag and threw in the clothes I had laid out for the three of us and grabbing coats. Don was leaving the house and I refused to be left here with the kids not knowing what was happening.

We left our house in the rain and headed toward town by our normal route. We got about 2 miles down the road when we ran into a line of traffic. We were right in front of Will's daycare and there was metal all over the place. Seeing Carol outside, we pulled into her driveway to check on her. The metal was not from her daycare, no idea where it came from. We left her and went two houses down and could go no farther... there were power lines and trees across the road with firemen keeping anyone from driving across. Don and another fireman decided to drive down the road to our left. Don was in front and we made it just a little ways before we came across more power lines across the road. Don went through the yard and kept going... but then we came to a tree across the road. The other firemen got out of their truck and they started to get chains to pull the tree out of the way when I noticed there were more trees on the other side. We could not go that way. We back track back to the main highway to decide what to do. At this point we knew we could not get to where the tornado first hit city limits because of trees down on the other road. We back track back out of town and head to another road hoping we could get through there. We made it to the road to the golf course and realize that the tornado had hit here pretty bad. There was a huge tree across the road. We turned down the toad to the golf course and stop to check on my cousin. He lives in a trailer and his sister lives in a house not far from there. They were both okay and then we realize that the trailer that sat next to my cousins house was gone... you couldn't even tell that it was even there.

By this time we know we have got to get me and the kids to my parents house and let Don start helping people. We try to continue down a small side road and can't go anywhere. There use to be metal buildings that housed golf carts... the golf carts looked like match box cars thrown into the trees and the metal building was in pieces all over the road. Don tried to go through the field thinking we might be able to get to the next road and realize we couldn't. So we backtrack again and head to another side road that would take us to Hwy 52 and away from the path. We get to Hwy 52 and head back into town. A truck driver was standing beside his truck trying to wave us down since we were going around the cars that were stopped. We knew we had to get through there somehow. The power lines were down across the intersection including the stop light. One of the firemen was standing there directing the traffic. Knowing we can't go through there, we drive through the parking lot of the church. I dropped Don off at the site and head toward my parents house. But not before finding out that we have run over some metal and the tire was leaking air. I head down hwy 52 toward my parents house again and get to the turn off only to have it blocked by another fireman saying there was a tree down and I couldn't get through there. So I head for the other way into their subdivision and finally make it to my parents house. It was now 11:30.

As I pull into the driveway, my mom comes out of the house. She was about to head back to my granddad's house which I found out took a hit. I get the kids in the house and man the phone. I talked to my brother, sister-in-law and aunt and uncle. I was to try to reach my other uncle who was driving a truck in Kentucky. But then the phone went dead. I was left at my parents house in the dark with my kids and they were terrified. I laid them down in the living room floor while I was trying to reach everyone. Then was the phone went dead, I laid on the floor with them and tried to sleep. Everyone else was at my granddad's house trying to get the windows boarded up so that they could go to sleep. Even my brother drove up to help.

The next thing I remember was my parents coming into the house and mom telling me to go to bed. I got the kids into my parents bed and laid down with them and my mom and went back to sleep. I don't even remember what time it was at this point but I knew there was another storm heading towards us. Then my brother stopped by to drop off dad and head home. I went out to tell him to be careful since the next storm was on it's way.

The next morning, I get woke up at 7 by my cell phone ringing. I was amazed since we lost cell service the night before. It was Kaitlyn's grandmother checking on us since she had seen the news. At this point I have no idea how bad things really are since I had only seen a few things at night. After hanging up with her, I tried to call work to tell them I wouldn't be there, but couldn't get a signal. I leave the house and head to where Don was to use his cell. I called into work and then headed to the house to get some more clothes for us.

The damage that I saw on my way to the house was mind blowing! I couldn't even imagine that things would look like that. I still see it a year later even though it has been cleaned up. I see the scars from an F3 tornado daily... but I am so thankful that my family survived it.