‘That’s our whole life right there’

Megan Bollman and Matthew King, who were staying in their RV just a few slots from Salter, said they had only moments to decide whether to seek shelter as the tornado arrived.

Racing to the campsite’s restrooms, the two hunkered down with their two dogs just in time before the wailing winds passed over them.

They emerged to find their RV destroyed and their possessions in tatters. Sifting through the rubble, they tried to save anything they could.

“I don’t know why I grabbed that pillow, it’s trash” Bollman said with a faint chuckle as she tossed it onto the ground with countless other items, from stuffed animals to Christmas ornaments.

They were able to save a few clothes, but Bollman said her wallet got sucked out of her car and King was searching for his missing birth certificate.

“We just moved down here while we’re trying to find a house — that’s our whole life right there,” Bollman said of the pile that once was their home.

Sheriff Edenfield said a number of the storm victims were staying at temporary shelters set up at First Baptist Church on Green Street and Chipola Family Ministries on Highway 71. Others, including the Keenes, were planning to stay with nearby family.

Edenfield marveled at the damage, which left some buildings intact and others in splinters.

“It’s something you don’t expect,” he said. “After Hurricane Michael, not much would shock you. But still you hate to see anyone’s life or property destroyed. But again, out of all of this, with no fatalities, it’s a blessing.”