Shana Chandler's Story
April 27th will long be remembered as the day of tornados in the southeast, but for my family it began much like any other day. My two daughters, Josie age 7 and Kasie age 5, went to school and their daddy went to work in Lexington, Kentucky. By noon several tornados had already been spotted, so Catoosa County schools dismissed. Around six o'clock my dad called and warned us to spend the night in the basement. So we packed toys, snacks, water, and flashlights and planned to spend the night playing games and watching movies downstairs. At 8:20 the power went out and I rounded up our flashlights. At first we thought we would go to bed, but something felt wrong and I decided we'd better get under the staircase--FAST. We ran quickly and huddled together in the darkness. The tornado hit immediately. All I could think was to hold each other. The pressure and noise was unbearable. My head felt like it would explode and I could feel dirt in my mouth and nose as the debris flew around us. The snapping and cracking noises continued after the roaring stopped. Thankfully, my cell phone worked and I was able to call my dad and husband to let them know we had been hit. The girls and I said a prayer together and held each other--thankful it was over and we were not hurt. When I finally looked out the window, I realized the extent of the damage. We live on a mountain covered with trees, but splinters and toothpicks were left. The basement wall of my house was gone.
Three and a half hours after the storm I saw flashlights in the woods. Thankfully my husband had come home against my warnings about the storms and he, his coworker and two neighbors had parked half a mile away and hiked up the mountain to get us. We carried out what few things we could and hiked out with the girls. It took over an hour to get out of the trees. In the darkness we could see the house was still standing, but very few trees survived.
Sometime in the next few days my coworkers at Parkridge Medical Center submitted my application for the Hope Fund and I received a sum that greatly helped us get back on our feet. Our family van was a total loss, we missed several days work, and we've relocated to a rental house until repairs can be done to our house.
We are very thankful to have made it through the impact of an EF4 tornado. Our house will be rebuilt, trees will grow back, and our lives will go on, but we will be forever changed. We have experienced firsthand the kindness and love of friends and family, neighbors and strangers. Our hearts go out to those who lost so much more.
