Tornado

I hurried to finish teaching my last two ballet classes that day. In a private school, in Lubbock, Texas my husband was in medical school and I had one daughter who was only nine. It was April 10, 1979.

I was happy as my parents had driven over 200 miles to come to see us.

When I arrived home they were there. On the news that night we saw where a large powerful tornado had struck Wichita Falls, Texas where they lived.

It was ten miles long and a mile wide in places.

My father called his mother and she was fine.

My parents went home early the next morning.

Their real estate office, their home and three homes they owned as rentals were all gone.  53 people were dead including our neighbors who had tried to out run the tornado in a car.

How would you feel if in 20 minutes time, you lost all you ever had and had worked for?

They had litte or no insurance.

So my father, husband others and myself rebuilt their home and others.

My Father was the one who saved the most lives that day- it was his idea to have the tornado sirens placed in that city.