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The Storm…or The Day My Little Rock Blew Away

The Storm…or The Day My Little Rock Blew Away

Last updated on: April 4, 2023 at 3:28 pm by Jeff Hood

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The Storm…or The Day My Little Rock Blew Away 2023-04-04T15:28:46-06:00 Jeff Hood

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The Storm…or The Day My Little Rock Blew Away

Who would ever think that their entire world would be completely interrupted by a tornado?

Jeff, Phillip, Quinley, Madeleine & Lucas. There is no doubt that our kids saved us. For years I’d said it, now it was truer than ever. After numerous warnings about inclement weather, I picked them up early. We were making our way home when it hit.

Trees crashing all around us. The car saying back and forth. I repeatedly drove through people’s front yards. I thought we were dead.

“Fuck!” “Fuck!” “Fuck!” I screamed it over and over. Finally, we made hit to a dead end and rolled to a stop. Multiple tires were flat. Trees had fallen all around us. We were stuck. When we felt like the worst of the storm has passed, we decided to make a run for the house. We knew that our friend Ben was in there. and our dog Sylvie. I also knew that the neighborhood would need our help.

Through people’s backyards, we jumped over and dug under downed trees and fences. Multiple times, one of us slipped and fell in the street. The rain was brutal, I kept on picking up and carrying the kids. I didn’t think we’d ever make it. All our neighbors’ houses were flattened. Like pancakes, they’d just collapsed. Then, we saw the house.

Half of it was flattened. I just knew Ben and our dog Sylvie were dead. “We’re ok!” Ben screamed out. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Emily and the kids were all crying. I directed them to run to a nearby garage that was still structurally sound. Then, I ran to my neighbor’s house.

I kept seeing what I thought were dead humans under sheets. Turns out, most of them were various types of domestic animals.

Immediately, I dove into the ruble of where the house my neighbor, Mr. Eastwood, used to be. For over two hours, I screamed for him. Over and over. “Mr. Eastwood!” “Mr. Eastwood!” “Mr. Eastwood!” I kept wondering if I was going to pick up a board and come face to face with his dead face. I was convinced that nobody could have survived his completely leveled house.

Firefighters were screaming that another tornado was heading our way. Police were saying that they weren’t going to dig in the debris. I didn’t care. I kept looking. I knew that I would want somebody to look for me. I dug deeper and deeper into the ruble.

The house had been two stories. Natural gas from the stove line was hissing in my face at one point. Still, I kept digging. Finally, I arrived to the basement. I wondered if he had made it this far down. At that point, I realized how dumb I was. The contents of the house were still moving. Parts started crash in on my head. I got a significant cut on my leg and knew I better get out. As I climbed back up, I kept slipping until I got near the top. Then, I heard a familiar voice.

It was Mr. Eastwood. “What are you doing down there?” “Looking for you!” Thankfully he’d gone to the store.

Then, I turned my attention to helping my neighbor get two of their dogs out. Everybody could hear one of the dogs barking under the rubble. When we finally got to them. One was alive with a broken leg. The other was flat…literally flat.

By the time I arrived back to Emily and the kids, over three hours had passed. At that point, the weather had calmed. We dug around in what was left of the house for clothes. After finding a few things, we packed as much as we could in bags. Then, we started walking out. Multiple photographers (including that infamous Associated Press image) captured our slow strain to get up the hill. By the time we got to the car, it was clear that it wasn’t going anywhere. So, we walked to the hotel. For multiple days now, we’ve relied on the kindness of strangers. Thankfully, they’ve come through.

Our house was declared a total loss. I don’t know where we’ll go. I just know we will have each other…and that’s enough.

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