Home sustained significant damage from a tornado approximately a year past. It was entirely obliterated by another tornado last weekend.
Anxiety hung heavy in Misty Drope's chest on that fateful Friday, March 14th. The news had been abuzz all week about looming thunderstorms barreling down on her quaint hometown of Paragould, Arkansas. Tornadoes were a distinct possibility, a fear a lifelong Arkansan like her couldn't shake off.
"I keep telling myself I have no reason to be anxious," Drope reminisced, "but I just can't shake this feeling."
Returning home to her husband, Bruce, and their 19-year-old daughter, Keely, the family took the necessary precautions, not their first dance with Mother Nature's unpredictable display of power. Their home had endured similar preparations the previous year when a tornado grazed their home over Memorial Day weekend.
Dressed in clothing suitable for survival, they gathered essential medications, charged their phones, picked out sentimental jewelry, and, of course, flashlights. Bruce imparted the advice, "grab whatever you'd have to have if you were walking out of here and never looking back."
From their living room, they watched as the storm wildly danced on the local news radar, the weather outside growing increasingly erratic with each passing minute. Then, the meteorologist highlighted a particularly alarming storm nearing a nearby Walmart, sending the family into action.
Their house had no basement, so they found refuge in a windowless bathroom. They gathered their two pets and huddled close, waiting for the storm to unleash its full fury.
Tornado warnings rang out on their phones, accompanied by the familiar, piercing sirens. It was a sound they recognized all too well.
"What are the chances this could happen again?" Drope found herself wondering amid the cacophony. They'd barely had half a year to recover from the last tornado's wreckage.
Suddenly, the air fell eerily silent. Drope said, "A tornado was coming."
The wind roared, debris whizzed through the air, and pipes burst as the tornado descended upon their home. The storm unleashed its wrath for a mere 15 to 20 seconds, a sound Drope would never forget, "The storm eating a roof, eating your home. It's a sound you never forget."
They clung to each other desperately, Drope laying across their dogs, while her husband braced himself against the door. She felt the devastation was worse than the last time.
The EF2 tornado, with winds of 125 mph around 12:30 a.m. on March 15th, became their family's second encounter with the destructive force since they moved to the house in December 2023.
The previous year, a series of severe thunderstorms ripped through central and eastern United States, including Arkansas, spawning dozens of tornadoes, including the EF2 that destroyed their garage, damaged the roof, and left debris embedded in an exterior wall on May 26, 2022.
The family was out of the house for almost the whole summer while it was repaired. However, this was not their first experience with a tornado.
In April 2006, a monstrous tornado tore through their previous town of Marmaduke, Arkansas, damaging the roof and shattering the windows of Drope's home. Miraculously, they all emerged unscathed, a testament to their indomitable spirit.
Three tornado strikes in one lifetime is a challenge for Drope to comprehend. "In my mind, I have a better chance of being run over by a train than being hit (by a tornado) twice in one year," Drope pondered.
Yet, it was the third tornado that inflicted the most damage on their family. Minutes after the tornado passed, the Dropes emerged from their bathroom, unscathed, to find that their home was in ruins, the only part of it that still stood was the bathroom where they sought shelter.
Drope said she didn't weep until she saw the devastation in her neighbors' homes. "I did not start crying until I saw my neighbors' homes just gone too," she confessed.
Over the ensuing days, this storm would unleash a devastating path across the US, leaving wildfires, dust storms, and tornadoes in its wake. The destruction would cost the lives of at least 42 people from the Plains to the Carolinas, marking a long road to recovery for many families.
Fortunately, the Dropes have a tight-knit community in Paragould to lean on, Drope explained. Although their home is a total loss, family has rallied around them, letting them catch their breath and plot their next steps.
"At the end of the day, we know from tragedy that life is short. A tornado is not fun, I'll be real honest, it sucks, but we are a family of faith, and God was absolutely watching over us," Drope concluded.
The article has been repurposed with fresh insights for better readability while preserving the essence of the original piece.
Research Suggests: Tornadoes tend to be more frequent in regions like Tornado Alley, such as Paragould, Arkansas. The likelihood of multiple tornado strikes in one location is low but not impossible. EF2 tornadoes, like the ones that hit the Dropes, cause significant damage but are less common than stronger EF5 tornadoes.
"The relentless anxiety clung to Drope, even though she tried to be honest with herself about the needless worry."
"On that stormy night, the Dropes reviewed their preparations once more, recalling the helplessness they felt the previous year when a tornado threatened their home."
"Despite their prior experiences and efforts to be ready, the Dropes would soon find themselves yet again huddled together, bracing for the roar of the storm and the devastating aftermath."
