I escaped a tornado!
Lora Drammis, 30, narrowly escaped death when a tornado hit her home...
As the sky lit up, I couldn’t take my eyes off the incredible storm going on outside my window.
‘Wow... Look at that,’ I said to my dog, Araya, as we both snuggled up in bed.
It was March this year, and the power had gone out in my neighbourhood in Nashville, Tennessee.
That night’s storm was quite the spectacle and I was happily watching it all unfold from the comfort of my bed.
Since moving to Nashville a year earlier from Los Angeles, I’d slowly got used to their crazy weather.
I was from the UK originally, but had moved out to the states to pursue my modelling career in 2013.
And after five years in LA, I’d relocated to Nashville and rented a place on my own.
I was loving it here, but the weather was certainly different from back home.
Tornados and freak storms were new to me, but I loved watching the crazy weather from the safety of my window.
And as the rain thrashed down and the power went out that night, I didn’t feel particularly worried.
‘It’s alright,’ I said to Araya as the tornado warning siren started going off.
But with tornado threats a regular occurance in Nashville, I’d heard the siren plenty of times before.
I didn’t think tonight was particularly unusual.
Only seconds later, I got a text message.
Take shelter, the government warning said.
This was something I hadn’t had before.
Suddenly, I knew this one was serious.
Grabbing Araya, I quickly sprung into action and headed straight for the bedroom door.
Knowing the bathtub was the safest place to be during a tornado, I planned to take shelter in there.
But as I opened the door, I was propelled back through the bedroom.
Landing on the floor with an almighty thud, I realised the tornado had already hit my home.
‘Araya!’ I cried as I scrambled to shield her.
Knowing I couldn’t make it to the bathroom now, I pushed the bedroom door closed with my feet, feeling a swell of pressure form from the other side of the door. As my body protected a trembling Araya, I held onto her for dear life.
Now, all I could do was sit and wait.
Terrified, I listened as things crashed and banged outside my bedroom door. It sounded like a nuclear bomb had gone off! But slowly, the noise began to fade as the tornado passed through. Realising I needed to get to safety, I grabbed hold of my phone and tried desperately to call my friend Kayce who lived nearby to me.
With barely any battery left on my phone, I worried I might not get through to her.
But luckily, Kayce picked up.
‘Are you OK?’ she cried out as she answered the phone. ‘We’ve been hit,’ I told her, in shock.
‘Get help,’ she called out. At this point, I thought it was just the windows that had been blown out, but as I opened my bedroom door I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
The roof had completely come off over the kitchen and the right side of the house was missing a wall entirely.
The whole thing looked like something out of a disaster movie.
My only way out was through the double doors in my bedroom that led to the front porch.
But as I went to pull them open, they wouldn’t budge. ‘Please no!’ I cried out. But the tornado had shifted the foundations and the door was jammed.
Trying not to panic, I looked around the room and thought about my options.
Only as I tried to find a way
I was propelled through the room
It felt like I was in a disaster movie
out, the smell of gas began to engulf the room.
‘Help!’ I screamed out of what was left of the window. ‘I’m stuck, someone help!’ Fearing there was little time left, thankfully one of my neighbours heard my cries.
‘Wait there,’ he called out as he dodged live power lines to try and get to my house.
He kicked down the door and told me to wait in my neighbour’s home - although it had no roof it was still deemed the safest place to be.
Shaking and sweating, I held on to little Araya for almost two hours as I listened to people cry and scream all around me.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but looking back I was having a panic attack.
But thankfully, after some time it was safe enough for Kayce to come and get me.
We quickly went back to mine so I could grab some clothes and other bits.
Scrambling together a bag of things, I could hear the roof creaking above me.
With just a few belongings in my bag, we made our way back to Kayce’s house.
And as I sat trembling on the sofa, the reality of what happened started to sink in.
‘I can’t believe it,’ I cried as we both sat and watched the news coverage.
‘You can stay here for as long as you need,’ Kayce comforted.
Unable to sleep, at 6am we drove back to see the house in daylight.
Driving through the street, I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. The whole place had been devastated. The tornado had ripped through a 50-mile stretch of Tennessee, destroying homes and killing 24 people. In comparison to some people, I’d been lucky. While my home was in tatters, I hadn’t been hurt and Araya was safe, too.
Over the next few days, my friends helped me salvage what I could from the wreckage.
But the house was beyond repair - eventually having to be condemned. Although I’d lost so much, I’d been lucky compared to some people.
Watching the news back at Kayce’s house, my heart broke as a man named Winston, who lived just a few blocks away from me, told reporters how his home of 42 years had been destroyed.
‘I’ve got to help,’ I said to Kayce. With that, I decided to set up a Go Fund Me page for Winston and his wife, and before I knew it $10,000 was raised. I couldn’t believe how generous people were! It’s been wonderful to help give back and I’m so glad to be a part of this community. The whole neighborhood is such a special place and Winston and his wife are exactly the kind of people who make the area so great. Since finding a new place to rent, I’ve made sure to stay in the same neighborhood. The community spirit here is incredible and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. While what happened was terrifying, I feel very lucky to still be here to tell the story.