A huge tornado that was almost a half-mile wide did a bunch of damage in east Texas last Saturday. And a 75-year-old woman named Charlesetta Williams was right in the middle of it.
She lives in Smithland, Texas, right near the Louisiana border. Apparently she doesn’t have a storm shelter or didn’t have time to get to it. Because she and her son Ricky ended up jumping into her bathtub right before the tornado hit.
That’s usually a good spot if you don’t have a basement. Bathroom walls are sturdier because of the pipes. And bathtubs are usually anchored to the ground pretty well, so they won’t get picked up by the wind. But in this case that’s EXACTLY what happened.
The tornado sheared off the back of the house . . . picked up the tub . . . and tossed it through the air. Charlesetta had a blanket over her head, so she didn’t see much. But they could feel the tub spinning around before it landed.
It’s not clear how far it threw them, but they ended up in some woods nearby. And the crazy part is neither of them were seriously hurt.
Charlesetta was a little sore the next day, but that’s it. Her house got knocked off its foundation, and it’s a total loss. But her family is just glad they both survived. And they’re already planning to rebuild. (KSLA / KYTX)
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