They had told us for weeks that storms were coming. That these would be storms like we had never seen. That we should prepare for the worst. Ok, sure. We’d had storms before, they came pretty close, but we had always been spared with nothing more than a few leaves and limbs blown down. Surely this wouldn’t be any different.
The day started as expected. Some rain and thunder and lightning and high winds. Schools were delayed due to the early morning storms. With the “threat” of more storms that afternoon, I decided to keep the kids at home, but I got up and went to work anyway. Once I left the quietness of my home, I quickly realized that we had once again been spared while others close by had been severely affected. When I got to work, the power was out. We took care of a few things that we could, but left soon after, since there’s only so much you can do in an office without a computer or a telephone.
So I went home. The radio was still telling that storms were on the way. It was hard to take seriously at that point. I mean, we still had power at home, the sun was shining. I heard storms had hit Flat Rock, where my mom lives. I tried to call, but got no answer. She finally called me back that afternoon.
“Did you call?
“Yes, are you ok?
“I’m fine. I’m at work. Why?”
“Uh, storms hit Flat Rock this morning. Just making sure your house is still standing.”
“Oh. I haven’t heard anything. I’m sure if something was wrong the neighbor would have called and told me.”That’s Mama. She was less concerned with storms than I was. Anytime one came up, we’d just take a nap. She did call and confirm that her house was fine.
But it wasn’t long till the sky clouded back up. There were news reports that storms with tornadoes were hitting cities on the other side of the state. Thinking it would be several hours before anything would be near us, we continued our day, occasionally checking to see where the next tornado warning was. Wednesday night church service was cancelled.
About 6:00 p.m. the power went out. Apparently a tornado had hit the TVA power station in Huntsville and knocked out power to all of North Alabama. Eh, ok. They’ll have it back on by morning. We’ll just light some candles, play cards or something, and maybe go to bed early.
I can’t remember if my sister called or sent me a text message telling me a tornado was in Albertville and heading our way. She asked where we were. I checked on my daughter, who was living in Albertville at the time. She was fine she said. I remember my sister telling me I needed to get my son home, since he was next door at my in-law’s house. I got no answer on their phone, so I decided to drive over and get him, just to make my sister feel better I guess. While I was in the car, it dawned on me that I could actually still get the news from the radio in the car. Duh! So we sat out in the yard and listened to the radio...and watched the big black cloud go up Highway 75, a few miles from our house. Whew, it missed us. I text my sister and told her we were all ok.
• • • • •
Melissa
I’m pretty sure my cable was out by then, so I was on the computer checking radar and weather. Not sure if I was on a particular TV station website or not so don’t know if I was seeing anything about damage. Also don’t remember seeing anything about a tornado heading my way. I was more concerned with the storm going through DeKalb and Jackson county at the time.
At some point while on the computer, it started thundering and lightning pretty good, so I decided I probably needed to get off the computer. I must have known something was up because I decided to sit in the hallway and listen to the radio. The weather guy was on giving an account of what was going on. Continuous coverage like on TV. I don’t remember what he said. A few minutes into it, the power went out. That’s when I decided to get in the hall closet (for some reason I had cleaned out the bottom of it earlier in the day thinking I might need to hide there later). I wrapped my frog blanket around me and put a pillow on my head. I don’t remember a noise but I’m sure it was there. A minute or two later, I felt the house move a couple of inches. Then it moved a couple of feet. Then the closet wall blew open and I saw what looked like blue sky and those birds kids draw in pictures. Of course, it wasn’t. I’m guessing it was funnel cloud and debris. I got sucked out. The blanket and pillow blew away along with my glasses. I was in the air and then I hit the ground. My hair covered my face. Stuff was hitting me. I was bounce-rolling along who knows what. I thought, “Oh my goodness! I’m outside in a tornado!” I remember hitting the ground or whatever once and hitting my head really hard. I thought, “One more hit like that and I’m gone. Either knocked out or dead.”
I’m sure all of this lasted less than a minute, but it felt like a lot longer. Once I stopped rolling, I think I was on my stomach laying on something. Debris was pelting me. I realized I wasn’t flat on the ground, so I raised up (hands on ground, butt in air). I felt stuff hitting my calves. It felt like needles and hurt bad. But I knew I had to get on the ground so it was just going to have to hurt. I got on the ground, laid flat on my stomach, and covered my head with my arms. More stuff hit me. I guess whatever the funnel cloud was dropping. Then I felt rain and hail (at least golf ball size). I remember it hitting my back and legs. I was somewhere at the back of what was my house.
Once the hail and wind stopped (don’t really remember if the rain did), I sat up. That’s when I realized I didn’t have my glasses. I don’t remember if I tried looking around then or not. I decided I needed to go find someone and stay with them because there was debris everywhere and I couldn’t really see where I was going. I think that’s when I realized that I wasn’t wearing any shoes either. I got up and started walking toward the house that was supposed to be behind mine. It wasn’t. I only got a few feet. My head was spinning and my legs really hurt. I was walking with them bent because it hurt too much to straighten them. I sat down on the ground and that’s when I remember really trying to look around. It was about 8:30 so there wasn’t much light. I looked back toward my house and saw a pile of rubble. I looked toward my neighbors’ houses. Rubble.
It was really still and quiet. Then there was an agonizing scream from the hill across the street. That shattered the quietness. As I sat on the ground, I hollered a few times for help to see if anyone was around. Lots of people were crying for help.
After sitting there for 5-10 minutes, I started worrying that the tornado might come back. Silly, I know, but at the time I was scared. I got up and started hobbling toward the drainage ditch by the road. That’s when I heard voices. I hollered at them and three people came over (only one of them spoke English). One of them was Denine. She was so nice to me. She let me stay with her for a while and helped me stay calm. She also let me use her phone to call Mama. Mama didn’t answer. I don’t remember if I was able to leave a message or not. I honestly don’t remember if I was able to even get a call through.
I stayed with Denine and the other two people for a while. Denine’s family joined us in the road where I sat and listened to what was going on around me. Denine’s house had been levelled, but fortunately her and her family were in the basement and weren’t hurt too bad.
People started walking around checking on neighbors and looking for family members. One man came by and said that some of the neighbors had gathered at his Aunt Melba’s house across the street from mine. A tree had landed on one side of her house but the rest was still pretty much standing. I’m sure it was messed up but I couldn’t see it.
As I walked up to her house, Melba came out to meet me. Even in that scary situation, she was still friendly to me. I asked, “Do you have some shoes I can wear?” She did and went and got them for me. I felt better about walking around then.
I went into her kitchen where some of her relatives were gathered. A woman and two children, I think. The woman had a broken hand or arm from trying to protect the children. The children didn’t seem to be hurt. Maybe some scratches and bruises. I think I talked to them a little but don’t remember what we talked about. They lived next door to Melba. They had taken shelter in their bathroom. That was the only room left standing after the tornado went through.
I sat in Melba’s kitchen for a little while until another neighbor came in and asked Melba if she could use her car to take some people to the hospital. I knew I wasn’t as hurt as others were, and maybe I shouldn’t have, but I asked if I could go with her. She said I could. I really just wanted to get somewhere safe so I could sit down or lay down and rest.
The back window was busted out of the car so I helped clear the glass off the back seat. I honestly don’t know how I managed to stand on my legs or move around in the back of that car. Adrenaline and God, I guess.
I sat in the middle in the back. Norma sat on my right and Lorraine sat on my left. Norma’s arm was broken or something, and I think Lorraine had internal injuries and was definitely in shock. Lorraine’s daughter, Veronica, sat up front. Two men had to put her in the car. Her leg was really messed up. She was also pregnant and was afraid she had lost the baby (she did later). I remember Veronica telling her mother that she didn’t think her daddy had made it. That got me. I felt so bad for them. She told Lorraine about the children that were in the house with them but I don’t remember what she said. I think one of them had a broken bone or two.
We only got a few feet up the road before rescue workers stopped us. Trees were down everywhere and covering the road. Power lines covered the road, too. Thunder sounded and it started raining as Norma and I were helped to a police car by two very nice policemen. I think they were policemen anyway. Maybe they were firemen and were helping us to a fire chief’s car. I don’t know. It was dark and I wasn’t wearing glasses. They put us in the back of the car and drove us to Apison Elementary where a triage center was set up.
When we arrived at the elementary school, I got checked out and it was determined that my injuries were considered minor. They didn’t feel like it to me, but in comparison to others I guess they probably were. While I was laying there being checked and waiting, I was joking a little with the workers around me. I tend to do that when in a difficult situation. Plus I’m sure I was in shock. Before I left, Denine came by to check on me.
I was loaded into the ambulance with Lorraine and taken to Erlanger. I was strapped down on a narrow gurney or something at the side of the back of the ambulance. That was a ride, let me tell you.
Once at the hospital, I don’t remember what happened at first, but I eventually sat down with someone and went through all that stuff you have to tell when you go to the ER. That was lots of fun while I was sick to my stomach, dizzy, hurting, and trying not to throw up. I was then taken into a room and waited to be checked by a doctor.
The doctor came in and we talked about what had happened.
I said, “My ears are ringing and I’m having trouble hearing. Like something is in them.”
He said, “It’s probably dirt so let’s wash them out.”
After he did that, he said, “Let’s try to clean you up a bit.” Then he tried cleaning my forehead. I think he gave up when he realized more of it was scratches and scabs than dirt.
The doctor said other people would come in and do x-rays of my legs, I’d go for a CT scan or something, get stitched up and then I could go home.
I told him, “I don’t have a home to go to.” I think that got him. He really didn’t know what to say after that.
As I lay in the room, the door was open so I could “see” and hear what was going on around the nurses’ desk (I guess that’s what it was). Some paramedics were standing by my door talking about bringing people in from DeKalb and Jackson county.
I asked, “Is it real bad in Jackson and DeKalb?”
They were kind of quiet, and then one of them replied softly, “It’s pretty bad.”
I started crying thinking about Mama, and Stacie and her bunch, Wendy and her bunch. I had no way of knowing if they had been hit or not and if they were okay. I cried for a while and eventually fell asleep. I don’t remember if that was before or after a shot. At some point my legs were x-rayed and I had a CT scan. Other nurses and such came in and talked to me and checked on me a couple of times.
At about 4:00 in the morning, a worker came in and asked if I wanted to call someone. I tried Mama. No answer. I tried what I thought was Stacie’s number but it wasn’t. I couldn’t remember anybody’s phone number. I asked the lady for a phone book hoping I could call one of my school friends. All she could find was a Chattanooga phone book. No Georgia numbers. I remembered that my friend Annette lived in Chattanooga and still had a house phone, so we found her number and I called her. At 4:00 in the morning. The conversation went something like this:
Annette: “Hello.”
Me: “Annette, this is Melissa Camp. Sorry to bother you. The tornado hit my house and I’m at the hospital. When they release me, can you come get me? I can’t reach Mama or my sister.”
Annette: “Yes, I’ll come get you. Call me when they are ready to release you.”I know more than that was said, but I really don’t remember. It was 4:00 in the morning and I had just woke her up. It wasn’t a really long conversation, but she was concerned about me.
Later in the morning, the lady came back and asked if I wanted to try calling my mom or sister again. Mama still didn’t answer. I tried Stacie again, but changed one number. 996 instead of 997. Got her!!!
• • • • •
Stacie
The next morning was Thursday. We still had no power. Great, cold shower, no coffee. I did a few things around the house, and drove to the office where I work in Albertville to see how things were there. The storm had missed our building, but there was damage all around. There was no music on the radio. Only stories of the devastation that had hit. My cousin in Georgia began sending me text messages asking if I had heard from my sister.
“Well, I talked to her last night. She was fine. Why?”She told me a tornado had hit Ringold, Georgia, and that it was bad.
“Well I’m sure she’s ok or she would have called.”She asked what road my sister lived on.
“Cherokee Ridge, Cherokee Valley, Cherokee-something road.”Looking back now, I think it’s sad that I didn’t even know what street my sister lived on.
“OMG I think that’s where the tornado hit. I’ll check and let you know.”I tried texting and calling my sister. No answer. I tried calling my mom. No answer. I figured their home phones were out because of having no electricity, and their cell phones were dead because they couldn’t be charged. My cell phone battery was getting low too.
So now my heart was racing. As I sat in my daughter’s living room, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but I did recognize the area code. It was the same 423 area code as my sister’s number. I held my breath and answered the phone. It was her.
“Is this Stacie?”
“Yes, are you ok?”
“Is this Stacie Cisco?”
“YES, ARE YOU OK?”
“Oh thank God!”She was crying.
“Brandy has been asking about you. Are you ok?”
“I can’t believe I remembered your number! Oh thank God!”
“WHERE ARE YOU?! ARE YOU OK?!”I hear her trying to calm down.
“I’m ok. I’m at the hospital. Everything’s gone.”I almost dropped the phone.
“Do I need to come get you?”She cries more.
“Yes, please come get me!”She’s breaking my heart. I’m shaking, trying to motion for my daughter to get ready and let’s go without panicking.
“Which hospital? I’ll go get Mama and we’ll come get you.”
• • • • •
Melissa
I don’t think I will ever forget her phone number again! Now I stress to my students the importance of knowing at least 2 people’s phone number in case they need to call but don’t have their phone with them with the number stored.
Around 9:00 or 10:00, a nurse took me to a different room so I could be stitched up. A doctor came in and cleaned and stitched my leg and pinky finger. Those numbing shots hurt worse than the actual stitches!
I called Annette and let her know they were ready to release me. I tried standing up to get in the wheel chair (or go to the bathroom, don’t remember), and couldn’t put all my weight on my legs. Not even bent like I had right after the tornado. I guess laying around for a few hours made them stiffer or something. Anyway, I finally got in the wheel chair and was pushed out to the waiting room. While Annette pulled the car around to the door, a nurse or someone pushed me out to the sidewalk and left me there to wait on her. I knew they were really busy with new people coming in, so I tried not to be irritated. Annette and I had a time trying to get me in the car with me not being able to put much weight on my legs. I’m sure it was a sight for people passing by.
We started off toward the drug store to get my meds and I told her what had happened. While we were driving, a friend of ours called her. Annette told her that she had picked me up at the hospital and was taking me to her house to wait on my mom and sister to come get me. It turns out a lot of people had been trying to find me. I would realize just how many when I got a new phone and heard all the messages. I am loved.
• • • • •
Stacie
I don’t remember exactly how the next couple of hours played out, but... My sister arranged for a friend to pick her up from the hospital and we were to pick her up at the friend’s house. She would have the friend call me when they got there and give me directions. The hospital was chaos and they were only letting in certain people. I had to go get Mama and tell her. But at this point I wasn’t sure if I could even get through to Flat Rock. I called a cousin, who told me he had been out clearing roads that morning and we should be fine to get through. We took the interstate, since the smaller roads had been declared impassible. I was not prepared for what I saw when we came back across the mountain. Trees, homes, vehicles - people’s lives - were turned upside down. Destroyed. All I could do was cry and pray. And cry and pray some more.
At Mama’s, though, she was calmly going about her day. I’m not sure she knew what lay outside her door, just down the hill from her house. What I had to tell her would shatter her peace.
“Have you talked to Lissa?”
“No, my phone’s dead. Why?”
“She’s at the hospital...Gasp.
“...She’s ok. But we need to go get her.”It’s a good thing she was standing beside a chair, or I’m sure she would have hit the floor. She cried for the longest. My aunt called me then. I had to tell her the news too. She cried when she heard Mama crying. I was shaking, thinking “This can’t be real. But she said she’s ok. We just have to go get her.”
Once everything was calmed down and everybody collected themselves, there was nothing to do but wait for my sister to call and let us know where she was. We weren’t doing good at sitting still, so we decided to go ahead and start driving that way. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long. She called before we got out of the driveway. Her friend gave me directions, and we were on our way - to what we did not know.
When we got to Annette’s house, she took us to the spare bedroom/office where my sister was resting. We didn’t know what to expect, and Annette told us to be prepared. I don’t think you can prepare for something like that. I remember she seemed very calm (it was probably the meds). She couldn’t see us very well because she didn’t have her glasses, but she knew who we all were (me, Mama, my son and daughter). She was laying in bed, covered with a blanket I believe. She was wearing a tyvek jumpsuit. Her hair was a mess, tangled and matted with dirt and blood. She had a big scab across her forehead. She had a bandage and splint on her hand. We could see other scrapes and bruises and dirty spots on her arms and face.
Mama asked her if she wanted to tell us what happened, and she told us. I was amazed she could remember such vivid detail. She was conscious through the whole thing. She told me later she remembered praying while she was in the tornado, asking God to let her pass out before she died; that she didn’t want to be “awake” when she died.
As we got ready to leave, my sister needed to go to the bathroom, but she couldn’t walk. Mama left the room. My daughter and I helped my sister into an office-type chair with wheels and wheeled her to the bathroom. As we helped her out of the jumpsuit, I got a lump in my throat. There was not a place on her body that was not covered in dirt, blood, scabs, scratches, “road rash,” or bruised. I honestly don’t know how her kidneys were functioning as bruised as her back was. I have never seen anything like it.
• • • • •
The next several days were kind of a blur. We don't remember a lot of specific details. My sister was pretty medicated and in a good deal of pain. Mama, I believe, was running on adrenaline, just doing whatever she had to do to take care of her. And I had to return to my house and family and work.
My sister’s best friend from high school (who we later learned had just spent several hours working recovery - not rescue - with a local Rescue Squad) came and helped her get a shower and somewhat cleaned up. Wendy was a huge life-saver that day! More friends and family came. We tried to shield her from the news stories of the devastation and loss of life. We managed to get her some clothes; we bandaged cuts and scrapes. She was able to move around, at first in a wheelchair, then with a walker, and finally on her own. We made trips to Ringold to try to find anything left of her belongings. I will never forget the look on the rescue worker’s face when we went back the first time. They would not let anyone through without proof they were from the area. My sister simply opened the sliding door of the van, he took one look at her, and we passed without any problems.
The weeks and months passed, and life went on. The outpouring of love and support over the summer was amazing. The miracles we witnessed were inspiring. My sister stayed at Mama’s, and eventually bought her first new house and a new car, and returned to work as a school teacher in August. She had continued to receive medical treatment for her injuries, and eventually had to undergo surgery to remove a piece of wood embedded in her leg. The chiropractor tried, but admitted he wasn’t sure how to treat someone whose body had been through a tornado. Some scars are still visible. Some are not.
It has now been almost seven years since the tornadoes of April 27, 2011. We started writing this story about three years ago, mostly as a way to let go of some of the emotions we experienced every year, or every time a storm came through. Since then we have tried to add an ending to it, but just could never find the right words. We asked Mama if she had anything she wanted to add, some way to wrap this up. She jokingly said, “The End.” (Now you know where we get our mad writing skills.) Then on a more serious note she added, “There’s no way to end the story, because the story’s not finished yet.”
Those words are oh so true. We are not the same women we were “pre-tornado.” Others around our area have similar stories; some have stories much worse. But this is our story. This is how God chose to show Himself to us in our lives. And He became a very real, close, personal friend.
