Local Man And Son Survive Direct Hit During Arkansas Tornado

    “I see the hand of God in it.”
   Mike Ellis of Eustis and his son Nathan were in Wynne, Arkansas last week visiting Ellis’ parents when an F3 tornado destroyed the family’s home, with the duo and Mike’s mother hunkered down within. The tornado was one of several that ripped across the country late last week as part of a storm system that left miles of devastation in its wake.
   Ellis and his son, as well as Mike’s mother, were in their longtime family home when the tornado, with winds estimated at over 160 miles per hour, tore the roof off the structure as it passed over.
   “All things considered, we’re doing OK,” Ellis said on Monday. “We’re alive.”
   There was a brief moment during the experience when Ellis wondered if the family would survive the tornado. After placing his mother in a bathroom closet as the storm approached, Ellis and his son took a mattress and placed it over themselves as they hunkered down in a central hallway. In the moments during the tornado's pass over the home, Ellis felt the mattress being lifted out of his grasp, and then he begin to be lifted off the ground.
   "Within the first few seconds, the mattress lifted up, and I began to lift up. I thought 'Oh no, I'm being lifted out.'
   “I began verbally praying ‘Lord protect us. Lord protect us.’” After the mattress was pulled from his grasp, Ellis fell back to the ground, and the mattress soon followed, and he was able to pull it back on top of them.
   Then, it was over. Ellis estimated the time of the storm’s impact on the home to be no more than three or four minutes.
   Upon pushing the mattress off of them, the duo could see that most of the home’s roof had been pulled away. After checking on his mother, Ellis began to survey the damage, a first glimpse of what has become a national news story.
   The family spent the weekend coming to grips with the situation. Ellis' mom is staying with a sister, and he and Nathan are with in-laws. They are striking the balance between being grateful for their lives, and struggling with losing their family home.
   "Mom knows it could have been worse," Ellis said.
   On Monday, Ellis was reflecting on how the situation played out, as he was in town only because of the fact that his father was having surgery in Little Rock on Friday.
   “The surgery had originally been scheduled for a week later. If had been then, I wouldn’t have been here.”
   And if he hadn't been there, his mobility-challenged mother likely would have remained in her regular sitting chair in the house as the storm approached, making her much more likely to have suffered injury.
   “God made sure I was in the right place at the right time.”
   And just barely. Ellis had been in Little Rock for the surgery and only made the nearly 1.5 hour drive home to Wynne after watching the weather radar and forecast that showed the potential for bad weather in Wynne.
   "About noon, we were back in the room at the hospital, and we saw a tornado go by. It was the first time Nathan and I had seen a tornado. When they said a second storm was coming through, I said 'I think I need to get home. Mom is there alone.'"
   Traveling at speeds that he admits were above the posted limit, Ellis arrived home as the town’s tornado sirens began to sound. About a half hour later, he was moving his mother into the closet and calling Nathan - who was outside watching for a tornado - inside.
   As it arrived, the tornado brought the sound of wind, airborne debris, and a piece of glass that cut an estimated inch deep into Ellis’ arm.
   “I have no idea when it got in there, or how it came out,” Ellis said of the glass shard that was amazingly located after the incident.
   Now, all that remains is rebuilding. Ellis said he is afraid his childhood home can’t be saved due to wind and water damage, and knows his parents will be facing a lot of challenges as they deal with the loss of their home and working to find permanent lodging.
   Supporters of the family have launched a Gofundme page, which on Monday had already collected almost $1,500. That can be found at www.gofundme.com/bdf98397.
   Ellis said the situation is a good reminder for people to remember that each day is a gift.
   “Make the most of every day, and love the ones you love the most every day.”