Deadly tornadoes swept through parts of Tennessee over a week ago, causing massive amounts of destruction across the state. One family is sharing the story of their infant son being picked up by the storm and still managing to survive the horrific ordeal.
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The family went through a traumatic experience
Sydney Moore and her family lived in a mobile home in Clarksville when it was ravaged by a tornado. When she heard the wind whipping around their home, instinct kicked in.
"Something in me just told me to run and jump on top of my son," she explained to WSMV-TV, speaking about her 1-year-old son. "Literally the moment I jumped on him, the walls collapsed." Moore and her son were trapped under trailer debris until she was able to pull them both out.
Moore's infant son was sucked into the tornado
While Moore tried to protect her 1-year-old son, her 4-month-old son was in another room with his father. It was in that moment that the funnel of the tornado touched down on their home.
"The roof came off first, the tip of the tornado came down and picked up the bassinet with my baby, Lord, in it," she explained. "He was the first thing to go up."
Moore's boyfriend was also taken up in the tornado
"He was just holding on to the bassinet the whole time, and they went into circles, he said, and then they got thrown," Moore said of her boyfriend. The force of being picked up and thrown by the tornado dislocated his shoulder, but that didn't stop them from searching for their son, Lord.
Moore explained, "I was pretty sure he was dead and we weren’t going to find him. But he’s here, and that’s by the grace of God."
"It was like a scene in a movie," Moore told CNN. "I remember seeing Aramis walking up in the pouring-down rain, clothes ripped, with Lord in his arms."
The family lost everything and now has to rebuild
Thankfully, the family suffered only some cuts and bruises but no permanent or dangerous injuries. Their home was completely destroyed in the tornado, so now they are looking for a new one.
"I will die for my kids. That’s not even a question. And my boyfriend would do the same thing," Moore said.
Moore's sister set up a GoFundMe to help the family get back on their feet. It has now exceeded its $100,000 goal.
