Colorado Woman Lost Everything In Tornado: 'I Don't Have Anything'
THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) — A Colorado native found herself homeless and without any possessions after a tornado ripped through her Alabama apartment complex.
Virginia Long told CBS4 she moved to Alabama to start a new life. However, she found herself having to start over when two tornadoes moved through Jacksonville, Alambama on Monday.
"Our power blinked, and it went out," Long said. "All (of) a sudden, the wind around me just died."
15 minutes prior, Long received a tornado warning, which gave her enough notice to shelter in place. She, and her roommate, took shelter in their bathtub.
"With the next flash of lightning, I could see the tornado," Long said.
Within minutes, the tornado would shred its way through her complex.
"It sounded like four freight trains above me. I have never had that feeling of terror in my life," Long said.
Long called her mother, who still lives in Colorado, to explain what was happening.
"I said, 'Mom, I am going to die, I love you,'" Long said.
The tornado ripped the roofing off the apartments, collapsed walls and demolished cars.
"I don't have anything. I walked out with the clothes on my back, and my dog," Long said. "I kind of went out there to rebuild, and get a change. Now I am having to completely rebuild my life, and completely start over."
LINK: YouCaring Site For Virginia Long
Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.