Community Helping Hampton Township Family After Home Damaged By Tornado
HAMPTON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) - A Hampton Township family is taking one day at a time after the roof blew off their house during a tornado last week.
The Willoughby family won't be able to stay in their home for a while, but some caring people are making sure they're not going through this difficult time alone.
"We heard this crazy noise and it got louder and louder and we ran to the basement. We could hear the roof ripping off. And a few minutes after that, water started pouring through the basement ceiling," Travis Willoughby said.
Willoughby is counting his blessings after he, his wife Shanna -- who's 5 months pregnant -- their three children and their pets were unharmed after a tornado ripped the roof off their home on Thursday night.
Snapped trees and debris were scattered around their property and on Linden Drive. The roof of the home across the street also blew off. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Hampton Township.
"There were power lines everywhere, trees everywhere, my neighbors' roof sitting right there. It was like a movie scene, it was unbelievable," Travis Willoughby said.
The Willoughby family has been staying in a hotel. They believe there is a lot of water damage inside their house. Their insurance company will do an assessment.
The couple has worked in health care for years. A friend who used to work with them, Sara Yetman, and some other friends decided to start raising money to help them get back on their feet.
"Not only are they good friends, but they are also genuinely good people. They help complete strangers every day working in health care. So myself and two of their friends, we thought they could use help during this time of need," said Yetman.
The Willoughbys were able to salvage some important items, including an original picture of their house being built in 1949.
"This is the house my dad grew up in. So four generations lived here and it's not much but it's ours," Travis Willoughby said.
Unexpected kindness from friends and strangers is helping the Willoughby's stay positive. They're hoping they'll be able to live in their home again.
"The whole neighborhood was looking for our cat because he was gone for three days. It's nice to have people looking out for you. You really don't even expect it, you don't know how many people care until something like this happens," he said.
"They're just awesome people. I hope that all of that karma they've put out in the world can maybe come back tenfold because they need it more than ever," Yetman said.
More than $4,000 has been donated to help the family.