Barely more then a day has passed since a devastating tornado ripped through the Winston County town of Louisville, but residents are already trying to pick up the pieces following the deadly storm. MPB’s Paul Boger reports
The sounds of chainsaws and hammers filled the early morning air in Winston County, Tuesday, as residents cleared the debris and damage caused by the previous nights Tornado. David Woodruff's home was hit by the storm. The house survived, but his barn and farming equipment were destroyed.
"It's about pretty much wiped us out." said Woodruff. "I got my bedroom okay, the middle of the house you can see the tree's on top. That's about it; everything else is pretty much gone. My barn's gone, my man-cave's gone, my tractor shed's gone, two horses are dead. We're just about to start all over, I guess."
Woodruff isn’t alone, just a few doors down, Randy Hodges and his wife Diane pick through the rubble of what used to be their home. He says they’ll rebuild on the same land his family has owned since the 50’s.
"We're going to get this thing cleaned up, and we're going to build a house right here." said Hodges. "The House is going to go right here. It won't be the same house, but it will be our home."
Many residents living along the tornado’s path echoed similar sentiments, but some things can’t be replaced. Less than a five-minute walk from Hodges’ house lays a field covered in ruble. It’s all that remains of Ruth’s Child Care Center. Melissa Miller combs through the wreckage trying to gather anything that will help her remember her aunt, Ruth Bennett, who died protecting child at the day care.
"My aunt was a god-fearing lady.." said Miller. "She loved the children. Her daycare wasn't a daycare, it was a childcare because she took care of them kids like they were her own. She had one child in her arms when the tornado hit."
While some residents are unsure of whether they will be able to rebuild or not, all of them said they are thankful just to be alive.
