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75-year-old Charlesetta Williams of Marion County in east Texas, has lived in her house for her entire life. But even after a tornado ravaged it on Saturday night, she’s not feeling remorseful or nostalgic. Instead, she’s feeling grateful.
On Saturday night, Williams was at home watching TV with her son when the tornado warning began to sound. They only had a moment to watch the tornado approaching them in the window before Williams’ son yelled at her to get into the bathtub.
According to meteorologists, for people who don’t have underground storm shelters, the bathtub is the safest place to seek shelter in a tornado. Tubs are heavy, and typically anchored more strongly to the home and fixtures because of their pipes.
But on this night, the piping didn’t matter.
Williams recalled the moment: One second she and her son were huddled inside the bathtub, and the next, they “woke up…in the yard.”
It all happened so quickly, Williams is still in shock. She barely recalls the tornado as a series of “woo”s, and then one final “boom.”
Everyone is amazed that Williams and her son survived the tornado with little more than some scratches and bruises.
Williams’ son even recalled that upon waking in the yard, he asked his mother if she was all right. “Yes, but I can’t breathe because you’re suffocating me,” she’d said.
Now, a few days later, Williams still hasn’t gotten over her shock. She and her son have salvaged what they could from their home, but she’s just grateful to be alive at this point.
“I’m blessed,” she said. “I couldn’t live through another [tornado]. I’d have a heart attack.”
You can watch an interview of her here:
