Alabama siblings detail terrifying moments before tornado destroyed their homes

'We lost everything': Siblings detail terrifying moments before tornado destroyed their homes

ALL RIGHT, WE’LL CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU, JORDAN. THANK YOU. MEANTIME, THE HALE COUNTY TORNADO DAMAGED MULTIPLE HOMES ALONG COUNTY ROAD TEN. YOU’RE TAKING A LOOK AT PART OF THE TWISTER’S PATH WHERE IT LEFT A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION LEADING INTO PERRY COUNTY. WVTM 13 ZOE BLAIR WAS ON THE GROUND IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE STORM. SHE TELLS US HOW TWO SIBLINGS ARE NOW GRAPPLING WITH THE LOSS OF THEIR HOMES. FALLEN TREES, POWER LINES ON THE GROUND AND PIECES OF HOMES SCATTERED ACROSS HALE COUNTY. IT’S ALL A RESULT OF SATURDAY NIGHT’S STORMS. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYED THE DAMAGE TODAY TO DETERMINE THE EXACT CAUSE, BUT ONE FAMILY SAYS THEY KNOW IT WAS A TORNADO. IT WAS. WE ARE LIVING PROOF OF IT. THE LIVING PROOF. JESSICA WILLIAMS HEARD A TREE FALL AND SPRUNG INTO ACTION, GRABBING HER TWO SONS AND JUMPING IN THE BATHTUB FOR COVER. AND SHE’S LUCKY SHE DID. BOTH ENDS OF HER HOME WERE RIPPED OFF BY THE WINDS JUST HOLDING THEM. AND I JUST HEARD THE HOUSE JUST CAVING IN, AND I JUST STARTED PRAYING AND IT HAPPENED SO FAST IT JUST WENT AWAY. WHILE SHE WAS PROTECTING HER SONS, HER BROTHER WAS TWO HOUSES DOWN, MAKING SURE HIS WIFE WAS SAFE. YOU HEAR THE NOISE COMING IN AND THE ROCK. ONCE IT ROCKED, WE HIT THE FLOOR AND EVERYTHING JUST STARTED BLOWING OFF THE TRAILER. THE WALL FELL ON HER, SO I SNATCHED HER DOWN TO THE FLOOR WITH ME AND HELD HER AND JUST WENT PRAYING OUT LOUD. NOW THE STORM IS OVER AND BOTH SIBLINGS ARE LEFT TO REBUILD. THIS HOME HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED. YOU CAN SEE HERE THERE ARE SHOES, CLOTHES. THIS IS ACTUALLY AN INSIDE WALL OF THE HOUSE ALL THE WAY BACK THERE YOU CAN SEE THAT THE STOVE, THE SINK. THEY HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY RIPPED OUT OF THE HOME. THIS FAMILY IS GOING TO BE FORCED TO START OVER FROM NOTHING BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE FROM THESE STORMS. EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING WE LOST EVERYTHING. EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH. THE WILLIAMS FAMILY IS GRATEFUL THEY’RE STILL HERE TO BE ABLE TO REBUILD. THIS IS A BLESSING TO BE HERE. WE KNOW WE CAN GET ANOTHER HOUSE, BUT WE STILL GOT OUR LIFE. SO JUST GLAD TO BE HERE. ACCORDING TO HALE COUNTY EMA DIRECTOR, FIVE OTHER FAMILIES LOST THEIR HOMES IN THE COUNTY AS A RESULT OF THIS STORM AND LIKE THE WILLIAMS, WILL NOW START TO REBUILD

'We lost everything': Siblings detail terrifying moments before tornado destroyed their homes

An EF1 tornado touched down in Hale County, Alabama, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, knocking down trees and power lines and destroying homes.At least seven homes in the county were damaged or destroyed by the storms, according to Hale County EMA Director Russell Weeden. Two of those homes belong to the Williams siblings.Jessica Williams heard a loud noise during the storm and jumped into action, grabbed her sons and hid in the bathtub for cover. That decision may have saved their lives as the tornado ripped both ends off of her manufactured home."I was just holding them and I heard the house caving in," Williams said. "I just started praying and it just happened so fast and then it went away."While she was protecting her sons, her brother James was two houses down protecting his wife from the damage."We heard the noise coming in and the trailer rocked and once it rocked we hit the floor," he said. "Everything just started blowing out the trailer and a wall fell on her so I snatched her down to the floor with me and held her and just started praying out loud."Video below shows tornado damage in Hale CountyThough the NWS didn't confirm a tornado caused the damage until Sunday afternoon, Jessica Williams said she knew what had hit her home."I know that it was," she said. "We're living proof of it."Williams and her brother are grateful to be that living proof."It's just a blessing to be here," James said. "You know, we can get another house but we've still got our lives. We're just glad to be here."Now, Jessica said both siblings have to start from scratch."Everything," she said. "We lost everything."Video shows tornado damage that injured two people

HALE COUNTY, Ala. —

An EF1 tornado touched down in Hale County, Alabama, just before 2 a.m. Sunday, knocking down trees and power lines and destroying homes.

At least seven homes in the county were damaged or destroyed by the storms, according to Hale County EMA Director Russell Weeden. Two of those homes belong to the Williams siblings.

Jessica Williams heard a loud noise during the storm and jumped into action, grabbed her sons and hid in the bathtub for cover. That decision may have saved their lives as the tornado ripped both ends off of her manufactured home.

"I was just holding them and I heard the house caving in," Williams said. "I just started praying and it just happened so fast and then it went away."

While she was protecting her sons, her brother James was two houses down protecting his wife from the damage.

"We heard the noise coming in and the trailer rocked and once it rocked we hit the floor," he said. "Everything just started blowing out the trailer and a wall fell on her so I snatched her down to the floor with me and held her and just started praying out loud."

Video below shows tornado damage in Hale County

Though the NWS didn't , Jessica Williams said she knew what had hit her home.

"I know that it was," she said. "We're living proof of it."

Williams and her brother are grateful to be that living proof.

"It's just a blessing to be here," James said. "You know, we can get another house but we've still got our lives. We're just glad to be here."

Now, Jessica said both siblings have to start from scratch.

"Everything," she said. "We lost everything."

Video shows tornado damage that injured two people

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'We lost everything': Siblings detail terrifying moments before tornado destroyed their homes

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