According to the National Weather Service, preliminary damage survey results show the tornado touched down around 3:09 a.m. and it’s path was more than 3 miles.
A powerful EF2 tornado tore through the Prospect community just north of Jefferson Saturday morning, leaving significant damage in its path.
According to the National Weather Service, preliminary damage survey results show the tornado touched down around 3:09 a.m. and was on the ground for 5 minutes. It’s path was more than 3 miles.
Sunday morning, a NWS survey team documented damage along Highway 59 and gathered photos and other data to determine the tornados intensity. They have estimated winds were moving at 115 mph.
“We’re also seeing some structural damage. We’ve seen that so far in the form of a total demolition of a shed or barn, and also pretty extensive roof damage,” Carly Kovacik, a meteorologist with the NWS, said.
Among those affected is Bill Ramsey, whose home and car were heavily damaged by the storm.
“You could hear a little wind, and in a matter of zero to five seconds, it went from a little wind to hurting your ears,” Ramsey said. The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado caused the destruction.
Patrick Johnson of J-Star Ministries, who assisted in recovery efforts, described the extent of the damage. “I didn’t realize how far the path of the tornado had gone. There were more homes and more damage than I expected. The level of destruction was a lot worse than just seeing it on Facebook,” he said.
Ramsey recalled the terrifying moments as the tornado struck. “I could look up and see stuff blowing overhead, and I realized the roof was gone. The floor dropped when that happened. I would say it was scary, but it happened so fast that it really didn’t feel that scary. It wasn’t until we got outside and had to break a window to get out that we realized how bad it was and how lucky we were,” he said.
For Ramsey, the safety of his family came first.
“I was upset the house was gone, but it can be replaced. What really mattered was making sure my daughter and wife were safe,” he said.
In the hours after the storm, neighbors and volunteers arrived to help.
Mike Wood, a local resident, said the response reminded him of the community’s resilience. “You hear about how bad things are in the world, but when something like this happens, you see there are a lot of good people,” he said.
Johnson emphasized the importance of helping others.
“This is what we do. I’m sure he would do the same for me and my family or any other individual. It’s about helping one another,” he said.
Wood added, “It’s going to take a while. I’ve got trees down everywhere and houses off their blocks. Thank goodness no one was living in them. But my neighbors will help, and we’ll eventually get it cleaned up.”
While the damage in the Prospect community is severe, the support from neighbors and volunteers has given residents hope as they begin to rebuild.