NORTH TEXAS – Today is a solemn anniversary for the North Texas community.
Nine years have passed since the strongest December tornado in history touched down. An EF-4 tornado struck Garland and an EF-3 tornado damaged and destroyed a home in Rowlett, killing eight people. A total of 13 people lost their lives in the DFW metropolitan area.
Every day when Kate May opens her front door and sees the remains of her house, she’s reminded of that terrifying tornado. Nine years later, it still hasn’t been rebuilt. May said the young couple who owned it could not afford to rebuild it.
December 26, 2015. That’s the day May’s life changed forever.
“We were watching a football game and the news kept interrupting the football game. I remember hearing that if you were in the Rowlett area, to evacuate,” May said.
She took action to keep her family safe.
“It sounded like a train coming,” May said. “I put the kids in the closet. I put the two girls in the bedroom closet. I put my sons and myself in the coat closet. And everything around us exploded.”
After the storm passed, she realized that her house had no roof and was frightened.
“The house was actually six inches off its foundation, and that’s what the kids would say. I could feel it in my feet because I could feel the wind on my feet,” May said.
A tornado ripped through and destroyed her neighborhood.
“The house was just a pile. Everyone was coming out and checking on each other and it was a bit chaotic,” May said. It’s still just a blur.
May and her family lived in a rented house for a year until the house was rebuilt. Family and friends wrote blessings on the wood used for the house’s foundation.
“I think we are one of two people still on the streets from that day because we still have homes and families that didn’t return,” May said.
Stormy weather continues to bring back painful memories.
“We all have a little bit of PTSD when it comes to things like sirens going off, but we still managed to survive. I think we’re all stronger because of it. And we’re all stronger now. We live at the same address, just in different houses,” May said.
Mae’s new house has a tornado-safe room. The walls and doors have also been strengthened.
