4/19/11

First Hand Account of the Tornado

This was written by Elder Farr. I used his account because he was there, this happened to him and he tells it so well...

(I left it entirely as it was written on his blog)

April 18, 2011

hey family, first off, today I am pretty tired.. the last two days have been crazy. and we only have two hours for preparation today because we are going to the temple this weekend on the 22 so I am really excited about all of that! I am glad everything is going great with everyone, so I am probably only write this once.. so if you could forward this and make sure everyone can read it in the family, that would be great! sorry I am not writing everyone. Well on Saturday we had tornado warnings but we get them often and paid them no heed. Our whole night just fell through.. so we had an appointment at 8 right down the street. so we grabbed our umbrellas and walked down, it was raining pretty hard. so we walk down the street look around the corner, he is not there, so we start walking back home. and it stopped raining, elder Phillips chuckles and says, the calm before the storm.... hah really funny I thought. so we walk in and the lightning is amazing~!! I recorded some of it. it's like a light was being turned on and off outside. so I was recording at the door right when we got in, I was recording for about a minute and I could hear the wind... and it quickly got louder and louder I could hear it coming across the street and roofs, they say it sounds like a train.. I heard that train coming.. and elder Phillips casually says, it's a tornado.. and starts walking to the bathroom.. and I then try to shut the door, but I couldn't... the wind was to strong, so I hurry and slammed the door shut and was standing there and I could feel the wind pushing the door in, and I felt the wind coming through the door... and lightning flashing behind it... so then I run to the bathroom, I slip on the floor and crawl in and slam the door shut.. the power is out and its black in there, we hear the wind howling all through the apartment, glass just shattering the whole time.. later I find out elder Phillips was clinging to our toilet.. ha well it stops and we turn on my camera for light.. we walk out an our front window is destroyed and leaves are plastered to the walls, garbage everywhere, we had tree limbs in the house, and so we start to clean it up and call the sisters, their place is totally fine. so we move the couch, put a blanket over the window to keep out the pouring rain. we find my flashlight, and people are outside checking on people. we couldn't get out the front door, the whole wall was blown off the foundation and pinched the door shut. then water is running in through the ventilation, and lights,. then the rough falls in and it was crazy. so we have to get out the back door to go and check on the sisters. we walk back there, and we had a lot of big trees back there, and they were all blown over.. up rooted. if the tornado was 5-10 feet closer to us, we would have died and our apartment would have been destroyed.. so we walk out, water, wood everywhere I walk around kick in our front door. The house is messed up but all apartments in our circle are standing.. so that's good. so the z are coming to pick us up but our whole area is down, and our corner is blocked off on the street from downed trees and power lines, that's what was told. so we packed up our essentials and walked out we came around this corner and it was terrible.. houses were completely gone.. brick houses blown to pieces you know those pictures you see of natural disasters. yeah we were walking though one.. so we walk out and people are crying and screaming looking for their families and crying where is my house. sirens were going, lights are flashing from the cars. I know I won't forget that night... so we walked through all the debris and met up with he zollingers. we stayed with the 2nd ward elders. it was a long night. So we wake up the next day go to church for a few minutes then get called that the sisters are cleaning our stuff out because of looters are coming in.. so we head over there, this great family packed all of our stuff, and put it in their car. so we walked in, more ceiling came down, insulation all over the place. so we move what we could out, my desk and the beds and a dresser is about all we had left.. our bikes were fine. so we finished up there, and went to work helping those whoms homes are gone.. we were in white shirts and ties and cleaning out this ladies pieces of house. we worked there then went and changed when the car came with our stuff. then we went to work on members home in the area, not to bad massive trees downed. a members trailer home was completely turned and torn apart.. so we worked there and then the members show up with chainsaws, so we clear trees and debris and then I walk around the moved trailer and its terrible back there... trailers cut in half by trees, cars smashed in, trailers look like shredded cheese... so we worked from nine to five out there cleaning and moving and cutting and just doing what we can. so at five we got our stuff and moved in with the 2nd ward elders, they have a nice place so I am now in a four man apartment out of my area by 6 miles plus on bikes. They said we will be there until they fix out apartment.... so who knows how long that will be probably 2 months, if they do it right... So we moved in, set up shop and this is where we are. my gps and my clothes are all fine nothing is lost. all is well. and we are planning to go back and help with all those people who now have nothing... WE were blessed in many ways. Well I think I got most of the story.. I hope. A four man missionary apartment in Raleigh was hit and its roof was blown off.. but they weren't home so that is good. i love you!

Well love you all! love elder Farr.