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Dallas Family Counting Their Blessings Before, During And After Tornado Hit Home

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - As the sun rose over a tornado ravaged ares of Dallas, light was shined down on the utter devastation.

Trees were ripped from the roots and power poles snapped in half, but for some, like John Brodersen, the storms have left him and his family cherishing every second now.

"She goes 'No! They're not... they're not, that's a tornado!' She goes 'Get in here now! It's coming! It's a tornado!'" Brodersen said.

His wife alerted him with what he believes was only 10 seconds to spare. Remembering the exact moment Brodersen said, "Boom, all of a sudden it hit and you're looking at it [damage] right behind me."

It's been more than 40 hours since the warning sirens sounded that sent them seeking safety.

But now residents along North Crest Road and Crestline Avenue are in cleanup mode.

Brodersen says his family will never forget the acts of kindness, even the small ones, that seemed to come from above. Thinking back to one experience Brodersen said, "She's handing out water and then she takes off and it was like she was a little angel -- she's gone. She was handing out water to anyone that wanted it."

And though the road to putting this storm in the rear view mirror may be long... the Brodersen's say the blessings that have come from will last even longer.

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