LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — The sound of a tornado was unmistakable, like thunder that wouldn’t stop. When debris started flying in London, families had only moments to react.
“It’s the scariest moment of my life,” London resident Tonya Poindexter said.
Poindexter said a gut feeling drove them to take cover. She and her daughters hunkered down in a small closet, something they’d never done before.
“I have a feeling about this. I don’t know what it was; it was just a gut feeling. I have never in my life took shelter. We just sat in there like little sardines, then the house started shaking, then I started hearing that sound like a roaring thunder,” Poindexter said.
All Wilderness Trail Wildlife Center animals safe after tornado
Poindexter runs Wilderness Trail Wildlife Center on her property. While all of the animals were safe, the destruction was hard to take in as daylight broke.
“There was a two-car garage right there, like a detached two-car garage, and it’s just gone,” Poindexter said.
That two-car garage belonged to David Lopp, who said he only had seconds to get his family to a safe space in their home.
“I seen that it was coming, and I came over to my kitchen window, and I kind of looked out, and I started to hear the roar of the twister. I ran into the hallway and told everybody, ‘Get your heads down,’ and we just sat there and prayed,” Lopp said.
Lopp said he had lived through disasters before, but this was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
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“I lived through two major hurricanes down in south Texas back in the early 80s, and this is my first time ever being in a tornado,” Lopp said.
But out of the rubble came hope, as neighbors were out in full force helping each other.
“There are so many good people out there, and the people that’s just been coming on the road here, and they’re, like, ‘Do you need some food? We brought you some food; we brought you some drinks.’ Then people will just stop and start helping,” Poindexter said.
Now begins the slow process of recovery for these tornado survivors.
“We’ve been in touch with the insurance company. We’re going to rebuild. We love our little cul-de-sac,” Lopp said.
A neighborhood shaken but ready to rebuild with courage and a plan in case this ever happens again.