Long Creek, IL (WAND) – After an EF-2 tornado ripped through Long Creek, the roof of a home on Skyline Drive is a pile of debris and the family’s life is turned upside down.
“I just keep replaying it over and over in my brain, and I keep having to wake up and it’s just a dream and it’s not,” said homeowner Ariel Futrell.
Futrell was asleep inside her home with her 13-year-old son. She said she was awakened by a frightening wail from her son. The family could not get into the basement. A bathroom with no windows was the safest place until the tornado said otherwise.
As the rest of the roof collapsed, the two ran out of the house to safety; neither was injured.
“My son was standing in the hallway and screamed, ‘Mom!’ extremely loud. Half of the roof [was] already off the house,” Futrell said.
By the time they made it out, the entire roof was gone. Futrell is overwhelmed seeing the aftermath for the first time today. The family is shuffled through piles of wood to see what was left behind.
“I don’t know what’s ruined, what was salvageable, anything at this point,” Futrell said.
Some organizations have offered the family a helping hand. For example, the Red Cross and Passion Community Church provided the family with a place to stay. U-Haul on Pershing Rd. provided a truck for salvageable items, and Dollhouse Realty offered the family a nearby property for the family to stay.
“Reaching out and helping and everything is really making a huge difference,” Futrell said.
For this family, the road ahead is uncertain, and they are just praying for a sense of normalcy during this frantic time.
A GoFundMe for the family is online.
