The Strom Where I Saw The Best in Humanity
A Personal Tale After Being a Victim of the March 15, 2025 Tornado Outbreak
Around 4:40 am, lives were changed in an instant.
People changed, the village that we call Loogootee changed, and so did its residents. In fact, for most of the United States, we felt prepared, but once it happened, the storm we saw on Friday changed the three common nouns of people, places, and things.
In fact, as the editor of the newspaper, I was on my heels. Scrambling through every Ryan Hall Y’all and Jesse Walker update, with my mother thinking “this storm won’t hit Loogootee, will it?”
Once it hit, the storm was magnified by 4:30 a.m. as a tornado that swiped through our area with fast speed and quickness. Water ran through the bottom of my mother’s bedroom, and the wind hallowed shaking our floor in the process.
The next day, my, along with many others lives changed in a flash.
As the ambience of thunder clocked through the dark night sky, our community was partially destroyed as the Sheriff from Martin County patroled the streets guiding traffic and keeping people out of harms way from the loose electrical wires and broken down trees in the distance.
I saw a home without a roof.
I saw people praying.
I saw people deserted and left without a home, all while staying in our office on our street.
I also saw people helping, and that is the key component to our healing process.
I saw people helping clean up broken toys, pieces of lumber, chairs, and tables, parts of roofs and even buildings.
I saw hope in the human existence as people held by each other helping lend a hand to the needy and the sick, and to those who needed even more help, even we tried to pitch in as best as we could.
That afternoon as we were getting our roof patched, I heard something that I will never forget.
The roof worker from BVR Roofing who looked at our roof said something I will never forget: our area “… spared the worst of [the damage].”
He even said some of the properties’ outside layers have been left, “… down to the plywood,” and just even a day after the tornado, we saw Karen Mathias’ house which was left without a roof, and even part of her siding was damaged.
I am blessed to be alive.
I want to wish my prayers and thoughts to everyone affected by the EF1 tornado on Saturday morning.
As I cleaned up my grandparents’ property, I saw the good that is in human beings. I saw hardworking, small town Americans, working to make a difference after the chaos we sheltered from.
I saw hand hold hand, as we cleaned up, worked hard, and helped others who were most needed. I saw people helping people, and that you don’t hear much everyday on the news and in politics, but small town people are real people.
I thank all of the first responders, neighbors, engineers, tree cleaners, street sweepers, first responders, emergency workers, and cleaners who helped us bring some life through the damage and mud to restore our city to a new normal.
To those who lost their homes, are deserted, and are crying for help, we are praying for you too, and I saw people help you through any way possible. I saw Karen Mathias’ home look destroyed, and many others like hers destroyed, and that is more than devastating, that is heartbreaking, and all I can do is help as best as I can, but most importantly, pray for those still hurting.
This storm shaped our lives, but I guarantee you, I saw why I love Loogootee and come here every weekend, and every school break until I graduate, and hope to one day live here. I saw the heart, mind, and spirit of Loogootee, and I thank you all for your guidance to help us and many others from this twister.
After this tragedy, Loogootee will emerge as a stronger community, and I was fortunate to witness that firsthand. This community is truly exceptional when it comes to supporting one another. We will rebuild together and assist our brothers and sisters in need during this extremely difficult time. We can all be strong together.