Weld County Tornado: With Little Time To React, Colorado Family Hid In Bathtubs
WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - National Weather Service experts will be out Tuesday to look at the damage from the tornado that raked across communities in Weld County on Monday, killing animals on farms and ranches, but claiming no human lives. The Weather Service indicates it will determine the track, damage and intensity on the EF scale.
Homes near County Roads 19 and 26 were among those that were damaged. The tornado whipped through so quickly, there was hardly time for the Holder family to do much at their home in Fort Lupton.
"My husband was on top of our house yelling, 'Get down, there's a tornado over by Tom's house,'" said Carol Holder.
There was no time to get beneath their home said her husband Steve, so he told everyone to get in a bathtub.
"It looked like a big mud roll, it had so much dirt in it," he described.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tornado Touches Down In Weld County
"We jumped in the bathtub and I got the dog and I pulled the dog over and I got my granddaughter and just kind of covered her and said 'You've got to pray Lexi,'" said Carol.
As they hid in two tubs in the house, the tornado roared by, ripping apart some of their outbuildings and overturning a camping trailer in their yard. Metal cut one of their horses, Leah. It destroyed a chicken coop. They found only three of the birds.
"The only cool thing, is my boss's truck is in the middle and it does not have any damage," laughed Steve.
The truck was parked between two other vehicles. One had windows shattered.
After it passed, they came out to see the tornado spin away. Across the road, a dairy farm with 850 head of cattle lost two to the storm as metal buildings were torn apart.
Incredibly there are still no reports of human injury or deaths.
"God is good. This could have been much worse," said Steve.
There was no warning before to tornado, the family received one, but after it had passed. With power lines down and outbuildings torn up, they went to work. Neighbors came by to offer help. Friends came by to treat Leah for the lacerations the horse suffered.
"We're happy we're OK," said Carol. "This is stuff," she said as she pointed at the damage.
