Van Residents Raise American Flag From Tornado Rubble
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VAN (CBSDFW.COM) - In the midst of damage and devastation in Van, Texas, after a powerful twister tore through the town of about 2,600, residents showed their resiliency and patriotism as they began to clean up.
Chopper 11 caught this moment as the Parish family stood in the middle of their destroyed home took the time to pull an American flag from the debris. Then for more than two minutes, they look for somewhere to fly the flag before settling on a makeshift pole amidst the rubble.
>>Possible Tornado Leaves 2 Dead In Van, 30% Of City Damaged<<
The Parish family, Amy and Robbie along with their two children, have one of the hardest hit homes. They say their phones went off Sunday night, warning them about a possible tornado and ran into their son's closet. Minutes later, the tornado (classified as an EF-3 with winds up to 135-140 mph) hit their home.
Amy says she knew the moment her house was gone.
"We started feeling rain hitting our heads. We knew at that point that the roof was gone. And then my husband had to kind a bus the door out. And he said the front of the house was gone."
Robbie Parish is a coach in Van and his student athletes have been on hand all Monday helping with the clean up.
"We had friends and family here within minutes. We've had nothing but love and support. So, I love this town," said Amy.
Two people have been confirmed dead from the tornado, and another 8 people remained unaccounted for as of Monday morning. City officials say the storm damaged about 30-percent of the town, including two of the community's three schools.
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