In the wake of a devastating tornado in Mt. Juliet, TN, stories of survival continue to surface. Living through a tornado has been a traumatic experience no doubt. For some, it literally within seconds changed their lives entirely.

These are some of the most striking stories shared with me. For many, the sounds were the most terrifying part. Survivors described what it was like to be in the tornado.

One man said, “The sound was deafening. You could not hear a d*mn thing other than the tornado and the wood splintering and breaking. I also could not see anything. The darkness was insane. The first shake of the house split something and I saw a brief amount of light and that went away almost immediately. Being inside of it was like being thrown like a rag doll. I remember hitting the pavement outside of our house on the ground.”

Another person added, “It is surreal to be able to recognize the sound of the house you have built your life in for the past 7 years ripping apart by a natural force. It is insane because in my mind I could very clearly make out the large crash of our vehicle (although I didn’t know it was a vehicle, just something big crashing through the wall into my room, I could hear electronics popping and transformers blowing, I could hear the roof peeling away from our house. The thing that amazed me is that I could hear all of this as clear as day while the tornado blew over. Hearing everything separate, but also together.”

Advice from Tornado Survivors
“Take tornadoes seriously. If the path is looking like it will come within 10-15 miles of you, go ahead and take precautions. Get to the lowest floor of your structure and the smallest most central room of the structure.”

“Pay attention to weather forecasts. If a day or time is going to be a higher risk for your area, make sure you are awake and alert to the situation and pay attention. Grab all living things and pile in the basement, and, if given the opportunity and time, grab things like cell phones, wallets, car keys and keep those with you as well.”

“The safest place to be is in a basement. If you live in a single story home, which was my case, you go to the very middle of your house and try to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible. We also piled on loads of pillows and blankets just in case the roof came off and debris started flying.”

What do we do when everything you have trusted in collapses? How can you prepare for a sudden change in life? How will these people recover, particularly those who have been hit hard on the blind side?

All these stories are dramatic. I have encountered, in my chaplaincy counseling, hundreds of individuals who have fallen on challenging situations. These Mt. Juliet neighbors are unique but one distinctive common factor that links them all is their faith. They trust God to see them through anything, Even a tornado that takes everything but their loves and that faith.

Another common factor with survivors is the overwhelming feeling of love from our Mt. Juliet community. This community is a family and will keep going MJ Strong!