"We Had Guardian Angels Watching Over Us"
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Whether it was faith, or fate, Diane and Jesse Wimore are convinced that guardian angels kept them safe as a tornado tore through their South Dallas neighborhood Tuesday. With the sky darkening by the moment, they decided to leave for work early. When they returned to their home of 14 years, it was to find the trailer of an 18 wheeler sitting in what had been their kitchen, living area and a bedroom.
"That took my breath away right there," says Jesse. "I mean, a trailer. I mean, a whole trailer up inside your house and you don't know how it got there. The fence ain't broke down so evidently it came out the air."
No doubt. Based on the markings on the debris, the Wilmores believe the trailer was picked up from the lot of a trucking company that sits along Interstate 20—more than a mile away.
"Thank God we left from here, early, or we would have been in there," says Diane. She says had they not left early, she would have been getting dressed—in the room that was most heavily damaged.
Parts of the trailer also demolished the side and rear of their neighbor's home.
"We expected it to be bad," says Diane. "But we never expected this."
Throughout the neighborhood, plastic tarps had been hastily pulled over holes in several roofs and debris littered the streets. Even those homes that escaped the most significant damage were still left in the dark, as the storm snapped trees and tree limbs, which took the power lines down with them.
Still, in the midst of what could only be described as a mess, the Wilmores are finding — and focusing on the tiny miracles like the diamond heart-shaped pendant that was found in the rubble. It had been in a jewelry box in a bedroom that no longer exists.
The word the Wilmores use is "grace." Says Diane, "We had guardian angels watching over us."
