Miracle in Texas as precious family member is found in tornado debris
By
Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor
Published Mar 23, 2022 11:34 AM EST
|
Updated Mar 23, 2022 11:35 AM EST
Twenty-four hours after the tornado in Elgin, Texas, Accuweather’s Bill Wadell caught up with a pet and its owner, who were thankfully reunited.
Entire communities have been changed forever following this week's deadly tornado outbreak across the southern U.S., but from the debris has emerged a heartwarming story about one family reuniting a day after being separated by a twister.
On Monday, March 21, Kacy Strickland found herself and her home in the path of the tornado that tore through Elgin, Texas, located about 20 miles east of Austin.
"It just happened so fast," Strickland told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. "I don't know how fast it was going, I didn't know how fast I was going, but I was running."
Amid the chaos, Strickland managed to leave her mobile home and rush over to her neighbor's house where she sheltered with her son, the neighbor and the neighbor's 9-month-old baby. "She said if I would have never came, she would have never known there was a tornado," Strickland said.
In the panic, Strickland didn't have enough time to find her 5-month-old kitten James, who rode out the storm in the mobile home, which was flipped by the powerful tornado.
James was missing following the devastation, but nearly 24 hours later, the kitten emerged from the debris.
"He's really scared," Strickland said. "This is one of my kids. He's family, you know."
James appeared to be okay, but he is going to be checked out by a local vet to make sure that he is alright after a brush with one of nature's most destructive forces.
Strickland's home, on the other hand, took a direct hit and was ripped apart by the twister. The National Weather Service estimates that the tornado was at least an EF2 with winds between 111 and 135 mph, but further damage surveys could find that it was even stronger than initially thought.
James was not the only cat to survive a tornado in Texas this week.
An animal shelter in Jacksboro, Texas, located northwest of Dallas, was destroyed by a likely tornado on Monday.
Rescue crews sifted through the rubble to save the animals in the shelter, including a blind cat named Nado, Fox 4 reported. Eight dogs at the shelter were also rescued and appeared unharmed but scared following the traumatizing event.
Many of the animals in the shelter have been moved to foster homes until the animal shelter can be rebuilt.
"I'm praying for them, and their families too that went through something like this, so everybody stay strong," Strickland said.
Additional reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Severe Weather
Miracle in Texas as precious family member is found in tornado debris
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor
Published Mar 23, 2022 11:34 AM EST | Updated Mar 23, 2022 11:35 AM EST
Twenty-four hours after the tornado in Elgin, Texas, Accuweather’s Bill Wadell caught up with a pet and its owner, who were thankfully reunited.
Entire communities have been changed forever following this week's deadly tornado outbreak across the southern U.S., but from the debris has emerged a heartwarming story about one family reuniting a day after being separated by a twister.
On Monday, March 21, Kacy Strickland found herself and her home in the path of the tornado that tore through Elgin, Texas, located about 20 miles east of Austin.
"It just happened so fast," Strickland told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. "I don't know how fast it was going, I didn't know how fast I was going, but I was running."
Amid the chaos, Strickland managed to leave her mobile home and rush over to her neighbor's house where she sheltered with her son, the neighbor and the neighbor's 9-month-old baby. "She said if I would have never came, she would have never known there was a tornado," Strickland said.
In the panic, Strickland didn't have enough time to find her 5-month-old kitten James, who rode out the storm in the mobile home, which was flipped by the powerful tornado.
James was missing following the devastation, but nearly 24 hours later, the kitten emerged from the debris.
"He's really scared," Strickland said. "This is one of my kids. He's family, you know."
James appeared to be okay, but he is going to be checked out by a local vet to make sure that he is alright after a brush with one of nature's most destructive forces.
Strickland's home, on the other hand, took a direct hit and was ripped apart by the twister. The National Weather Service estimates that the tornado was at least an EF2 with winds between 111 and 135 mph, but further damage surveys could find that it was even stronger than initially thought.
James was not the only cat to survive a tornado in Texas this week.
An animal shelter in Jacksboro, Texas, located northwest of Dallas, was destroyed by a likely tornado on Monday.
Rescue crews sifted through the rubble to save the animals in the shelter, including a blind cat named Nado, Fox 4 reported. Eight dogs at the shelter were also rescued and appeared unharmed but scared following the traumatizing event.
Many of the animals in the shelter have been moved to foster homes until the animal shelter can be rebuilt.
"I'm praying for them, and their families too that went through something like this, so everybody stay strong," Strickland said.
Additional reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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