PERRY, FL (WTXL) — Karen Everett and her family said they are just grateful to be alive after a severe storm came straight through their backyard around 4 a.m. Friday morning.
Everett said it was unlike anything she has ever experienced.
"It lasted about 20 minutes, between 15 and 20 minutes, but it was the longest 15 or 20 minutes of my life," Everett said. "It was horrendous."
That's how Everett describes hiding with her family in a hallway as a possible tornado tore down trees and destroyed her carport early this morning.
She said weather alerts were how she found out about the storm.
"The first thing that actually woke me up were the alerts on my phone," Everett said.
A couple hours later, the storm hit her home on Houck Road.
"I started hearing like tin or metal ripping and the wind was getting louder and louder. I got my mom and my grandson was staying with us," Everett said. "I got both of them up and I said 'I think we need to get in the hallway.'"
After praying to stay alive and huddling together, Everett discovered the two down trees and destroyed shed. Luckily, her home was untouched.
"Thank god we are okay. We are fine, our house, our roof is still on our house," Everett said. "Then, I was wanting to make sure everybody was okay."
Kenneth Albritton lives next door and had part of his back porch roof ripped off, but didn't have too much damage. He said the storm woke him up.
"I wasn't really scared. It was more, I didn't really know what was going on," Albritton said. "I had no time to be scared."
Everett's family is working hours later to help their family clean up what the storm left behind.
"All of our family and friends that didn't already know about it have been calling, coming by, offering to help. It's just been an out-pour from the entire community that has stepped up and offered to do anything they could to help us out."
