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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Sweet Scripture Sunday....


...You, Oh Lord, are my refuge in the day of disaster.....
Jeremiah 17:17b  NIV

What do you do when all you have is nothing but a pile of rubble?

Friday was a day of disaster for our little hometown.
On Thursday evening the National Weather service issued a Tor-con level of 9
for our area.

Which means there is a 90% chance of a tornado.
 For me; that was enough reason
to make preparations for the worst.

My husband had to work on Friday, so I was at home alone.
My daughter and her husband decided to drive up from Knoxville
to weather the storm with me.

There were so many alerts and warning for this area,
 we decided to
head to my in-laws home
to weather the upcoming storm in the basement.
I am so glad we did!

There were two tornado's that hit our area.
Both of those were within 1-2 miles of my home.

The aftermath of the storm revealed many homes were completely destroyed.
Leaving so many homeless.
We soon heard several were dead.
Many were critically injured.
It was a devastating storm.

One of those critically injured was a 23 year old girl who was very close to us.
Her name is Amy.
Her Mother's name is Carolyn. 
 Amy was at her boyfriends home during
the tornado.  His name is Eric
.
This is her Mother's  story:

I called Amy who was at her boyfriends home.
I told her the weather was getting really bad.
 I felt she needed to come home now. 
Eric's home is a double-wide mobile home.
Not the safest place to be during a severe storm.
I felt she would be safer here in our home.
Amy said she would be okay and wanted to stay where she was.
I was still on the phone with Amy when I could hear a loud commotion in
the background.
I heard Eric's Mother yelling, "get in the hallway now!"
She screamed this out several times.
It was just a few seconds later that Amy's cell phone went dead.
I knew something was seriously wrong.
Carolyn quickly headed in the direction of Eric's home.
When they arrived there was nothing but rubble
and debris everywhere.
There was nothing left of the home.
The rescue teams would not let allow me to enter the area.
I explained that my daughter was in that home.
When they heard this, I was allowed to enter.
Eric's Mom and Dad were found
lying in the midst of the rubble.
They were both dead.
I reasoned in my heart that Amy was dead too.
After searching through the rubble of the home
 they did not find Amy.
I thought I would never see my daughter again.
She was later found several feet away from the home.
Amy's body was covered in blood.
It was then I saw her leg.
It was horrible.
 looked as if a 2x4 had blown through it.
She was critically injured,
but still breathing.


The make a long story short.
Due to her injuries,
Amy was air lifted immediately
to the University of Kentucky hospital.
Her leg was amputated.
One of her arms was broken and damaged seriously.
It required several hours of surgery.
They could not find Eric at first.
Eventually he was found and is also in UK hospital
He has many broken bones and internal injuries.
He is currently still in ICU.

Everything in the path of the tornado is gone!
Nothing but rubble......

I am blessed and thankful today.
Our home was spared.
We are all safe and unharmed.
Please pray for all those who have suffered much as a result of this storm.

Be thankful for what you have today
for tomorrow it could be gone!

Blessings!

Patty








16 comments:

  1. Oh, Patty.. so sorry to hear this about your area. It seems this is the new, horrible, scary "normal" for many of us now - huge, deadly tornadoes happening all over the US. Glad to hear your home and family were spared from this, but heartbreaking to read of those such as Amy and her family. Prayers for all!! Hugs, Tammy

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  2. I am praying for all those affected by these horrendous storms. God's mercy and grace will lift us up and help us though these disasters. I can't even begin to imagine the devastation. You and your community are in my thoughts.

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  3. This is such a horrible tragedy!So glad your home and family was spared. Saying a prayer for all of those who are hurting.He is the only one who can give comfort in a loss of this magnitude.

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  4. I am so thankful you and your family and your house are all OK...thankful for the mercy of God. Thank you for sharing the heart wrenching story of Amy, her boyfriend and his family. I will be in prayer for them. (Amy was my daughter's name!) AMEN to thanking God for all we have today as tomorrow it may all be rubble. Thanking God today for lives spared!

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  5. Patty,

    We will certainly be praying for this family. It breaks my heart to see others go through so much. I'm glad you posted about it so we can pray. My Mom, Trish at ApronStringsandFavoriteThings blog asked me to check on you all since she knew the tornado went through Laurel Co.

    Selina
    http://www.mudpiereality.blogspot.com

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  6. Omgosh I am so sorry you had to go through this, but also very happy you are okay...what a huge blessing.
    I'm sorry and praying for CAROLYN AND HER FAMILY....how she must hurt for her daughter and her boyfriend(s)/family. How very sad.
    Blessings to all of you.
    Hugs,
    Karen

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  7. Hi,I'm Patty! Just found your blog, I was blog hopping;) I'm so sorry to hear of the devastation in your area. We were under a tornado watch for most of the evening. One community in the south western part of NC was hit by a tornado, thankfully no one was hurt. Will say a prayer for that family.
    Look forward to reading more of your blog.
    Patty H.

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  8. Oh Patty... I have been watching the news, seeing the devastation, and praying for all of the people whose lives have been touched by these terrible storms. I cannot help but shed tears over your post. May God bless those workers that will be helping the victims. This is simply heartbreaking...

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  9. Oh my goodness! That is so sad, and there are so many stories out there just like this. I am not only praying for those families, but thanking God for my families safety and for our homes.

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  10. Oh,my goodness...such a sad story of such devastation....we just never,never know...I am so very sorry about your friend Amy but,also very thankful she was spared...I pray for all affected from these storms...I pray God's Holy Spirit give peace and comfort and needed provisions Also,thanking God you and your family were kept safe. Blessings

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  11. My heart just breaks for you, your neighbors and all you were impacted by Friday's storm. Praying for God to give all healing and peace.

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  12. Oh my Goodness! I was just catching up on my blog reading and this caught me by surprise. I am so very sorry for your friends and your community! Many prayers are being sent your way! Deb

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  13. Oh Patty- I am so sorry that tornadoes went through there. I am so thankful that you and your home are safe. Have been watching the news and have seen so much loss. I am so sorry for Amy, Eric and her mother. They will be in my prayers. So will your town as you all piece back your lives and your community. Thanks for posting Amy's story. It was in the news that the injuries were severe. This gives us a family to specifically pray for.

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  14. Dear Patty,

    Praying for your friends & family!

    Blessings!
    ~Nadine

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  15. Such tragedy ! My prayers for your and the neighbors.
    So glad your home was saved.

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  16. Oh my goodness, how terribly tragic. I will definitely pray.

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