The clouds began to roll in as we were making our way home from church on Sunday, November 17th, 2013. Though they appeared somewhat dark and ominous, we really didn’t think too much of it. After lunch, Todd laid our little kids down for naps, while I prepared to go with my three oldest daughters and attend a play at McCutcheon High School. We were just about to head outside to get in the van when it began to pour down rain. I looked to Todd to see what his thoughts were about us going out in the weather. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned and thought we would be just fine. Getting ourselves out the van was the equivalent of taking a cold shower but we made it.
We set off down our road hoping that the rain would subside, but instead of getting lighter, it got heavier and heavier. Next we felt our big 15 passenger van shifting and it seemed for a moment that it was losing its grip on the road. Our wiper blades could not keep up with the torrential down pour and I was forced to slow down to a crawl. In the middle of our drive, Todd called me to admit that he had made a huge mistake about sending us out into the weather and that He and the kids were headed down to the basement. GREAT! I thought, What do I do now!? Do I continue forward or try and turn around? I really didn’t know what to do, but at that very moment the rain began to slow down and I concluded that we would be ok to keep going.
When we arrived in town we saw that the sun was staring to peak through the clouds and by this time it was barely raining. I continued to check in with Todd and he too felt like the weather was clearing and that our family was past any danger. When we arrived at McCutcheon High School people were coming out sharing that the power had been knocked out by the storm and that they were going to have to cancel the play.
We went back to the van and decided to go to the church where the girls would soon need to prepare for their student ministry gathering later that evening. We walked into the church and found that the power was on. About that same time, we began to receive reports from students that Southwestern Middle School had been hit by a tornado!? We were stunned. Had we really just driven through the formation of a tornado? I questioned the news and was wondering if a student was just exaggerating or even fabricating the facts about the school being hit. I began to text my friends to ask about the news. It was soon confirmed that the middle school had been hit by a tornado. Not long after that, the report came that Mintonye Elementary School (next to the middle school) was damaged as well. I called Todd to tell him all that I had heard and he was in disbelief. Remember, this is the storm that he initially thought wasn’t really all that bad. He informed me that the power to our home had just gone out as well.
I left the girls at church to prepare for the youth gathering and went home. Todd and I decided to pack up the kids and go back to the church. Todd was scheduled to speak to the youth that night anyway, so we thought it best to keep the family together. The church would be a bit more accommodating for the kids since it still had power and running water. Along with this, it was now close to dinner time and because we were uncertain as to how long the power would be out we did not want to open the refrigerators. When we got back to the church, reports were coming in that some houses were hit and several trees were destroyed. Thousands of people were now without power and we began to understand that it could be days, not just a few hours, before all the power would be back on.
I allowed the kids to play in the church gym while Todd was speaking to the youth. We had only been playing for a few minutes when I saw the principles of the elementary school (Mr. Skaggs) and middle school (Mrs. Shuman) walk into the gym. I began to quickly put it all together! They were at our church to explore the possibility of it becoming the schools’ temporary home until the schools could be rebuilt. My younger kids who were playing in the gym ran up to Mr. Skaggs and hugged him and began to ask a multitude of questions. He was so kind and gave them a few minutes of his time. I’ll never forget how he got down on one knee to reassure them that their school would be fine eventually. He expressed how thankful he was that this tornado had come on a Sunday and not on a day when teachers and children were in the building! Both principles had very concerned faces as they were beginning to fully understand and discuss the magnitude of what was going to need to take place in the coming months.
The next week after the storm there was a rush of meetings, emails, and great communication from not only the principles, but also from the superintendent of Tippecanoe School Corporation, Dr. Hanback as well. The day after the storm, decisions were quickly made as to where the students (preschool through 8th grade) would be placed. It was decided that our church would be the new home for the children in preschool through 6th grade. The 7th and 8th grade students would move into another nearby middle school (Wea Ridge Middle School). They moved their 6th grade to allow our 7th and 8th graders the use of that entire wing. Amazingly, these new locations were all set up and ready for students in just one week! This is all happened because of the selfless cooperation of many community leaders. We continued to stay at these locations for the rest of the school year. The elementary school was the first to be fully restored and the kids were able to move back there in August of 2014. We are pleased that the corporation has recently announced that the middle school will likely be ready for the return of students by August of 2015.
There are a number of blessings associated with this experience and a number of people and things we are thankful for as well. We cannot name them all but we would like to list a few.
1. The biggest blessing of all was that the tornado came on a Sunday and no children were in the school.
2. We are thankful for the leaders at First Assembly Community Ministries. Pastor Robby, Pastor Tim, and the rest of the church staff and deacon board who worked swiftly to make decisions and give up so much office and ministry space to accommodate the children.
3. The leaders of our school corporation and schools, Dr Hanback, Mr. Skaggs, Mrs. Shuman, all of the principles and key people at Wea Ridge who came together with such grace and fortitude in the face of so much chaos and uncertainty. As parents, we were so impressed with and thankful for the constant communication.
4. The teachers and staff at both of our schools and at Wea Ridge did an incredible job of keeping spirits high among the children. Two teachers that touched our hearts deeply were Mrs. Peckenpaugh and Mrs. Harper. They allowed our children to be in their rooms to help them get everything set up and ready. EVERYONE involved was absolutely exhausted from all the packing, moving and resettling but they never let it show around the kids.
5. We are thankful to the other TSC schools who were so generous to donate new school supplies and even food items to make the transitions easier.
6. Tippecanoe School Corporation asked the state for a waver (and it was granted) related to our week of transition, so that the children would not have to make those days up at the end of the year.
7. We were thankful that our leaders worked together to keep school spirit alive by continuing to host school sports programs and teams, clubs, and other extracurricular activities.
Again these are just a few blessings, people and things we have been thankful for. Below are just a few personal Hair Family Blessings beyond the that were mentioned above:
1. Our kids didn’t have to ride the school bus for the rest of the school year. Instead they enjoyed daily rides into school and work with dad!
2. Our kids were so close to us throughout the day. Todd was just on the other side of the building and was able to see the kids often and I stopped by the church nearly every day as well. I was able to see my kids and give them hugs and encourage them often.
3. We were thankful to God for the way He orchestrated our church’s movement to make us ready for “such a time as this.” We had recently changed our ministry strategy which included letting go of our christian elementary school and had already cleared the space that would be needed to house the faculty and students! We were happy to be a part of a church who listens to God’s voice and responded so well to this massive, yet unforeseeable need.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
~ Ephesians 2:10 ~
Kathy Sorenson
November 17, 2014 at 7:22amWow! God is Awesome! We are also thankful that you all survived the storm!
Kylee
November 17, 2014 at 9:33pmA year ago today my life flipped upside down. The house I had lived in since 2nd grade was taken away without any kind of warning. I can’t thank God enough for keeping my family safe. It’s a crazy experience but I can proudly say, though the past year has been full of a number of trial and errors, my family and I have never been better. I learned through this situation that I would only let myself see bad in, there are so many good things. Mom now has the house she always wanted. Timmy has a huge shop he can work in. Abby and Isaac have a place they can run free in. As for me, I may not live there, but it means so much to me that my family is 100% safe and happy. Losing your house isn’t easy. I’ll never forget the day I saw the strongest person I know lose her cool. Walking in the house to see there is no roof and all the living room in the kitchen. It was hard. But in the one moment. I ran to my mom and she held me, not like usual. She held me like I was the last thing she had to hold on to. The words she said to me I’ll never forget. “It’s just a house”, she said. Mama and I never really see eye to eye. In fact we hadn’t talked for a long time till the tornado. But I can tell you. That’s the number one good thing that came outta losing the house for me. My relationship with my mom got deeper. I’ll never forget walking through the hallways at school the next day. I felt invisible. Ya know how in movies it’s goes in slow motion sometimes? It was exactly like that. Not one person knew I was hurting though. At least not that day.. All I have left to say is, the saying “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone” is probably one of the most true sayings there is. It’s sad to think about the memories. Sure, I look at pictures of the new house or pictures taken in the old one and just cry. It’s hard. But it’s just a new chapter in life. And I’m beyond thankful I don’t have to start it by myself. So I guess what you can get out of reading this is, Always appreciate and pray for what you have cause one day it might not be there. And I understand that’s a scary thought, but it’s a lot more scary when it’s happening.