Rowlett, Garland communities continue to rebuild nine years after deadly tornado
NORTH TEXAS – It's a somber anniversary for one North Texas community.
Nine years have passed since the strongest December tornado ever recorded touched down. An EF-4 tornado tore through Garland, and an EF-3 tornado damaged and destroyed homes in Rowlett, leaving eight people dead. A total of 13 people lost their lives in the DFW metroplex.
Kate May has a daily reminder of that deadly tornado when she opens her front door and sees a slab of what was a home. It still hasn't been rebuilt nine years later. May said the young couple that owned it couldn't afford to rebuild.
Dec. 26, 2015. That's the day May's life changed forever.
"We were watching a football game, and the news kept interrupting the football game. I remember hearing if you're in the Rowlett area, take cover," May said.
She took action to keep her family safe.
"It sounded just like a train coming," May said. "I got the kids in the closet. I got two girls in the bedroom closet. I got my sons and myself in a coat closet, and everything just imploded around us."
She realized in horror her home had no roof once the storm had passed.
"The house had actually shifted six inches off the foundation, which my kids will tell you. They felt it on their feet because they could feel the wind on their feet," May said.
The tornado that blew through leveled her neighborhood.
"Houses were just piles. Everyone's just coming out, checking on each other, and it was just kind of chaotic," May said. "It's still just a blur."
May and her family stayed in a rental home for a year before they rebuilt. Family and friends wrote blessings on the wood used for the home's foundation.
"There's still houses and families that never came back, so I think we're one of two people still on the street from that day," May said.
Stormy weather continues to trigger painful memories.
"We all have a little PTSD when it comes to things like sirens going off, but we survived. I think we're all stronger because of it, and we're still living in the same address. It's just a different house," May said.
May's new house has a tornado-safe room. It also has reinforced walls and doors.