She knew bad weather was coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lauren Rungeling had been watching the forecast and texting friends and family to check in on everyone as the storms moved in. By just after 7 p.m., the weather outside her home changed in an instant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure it was hailing, and the wind was almost totally horizontal,\u201d she said. \u201cThe sky became a very unnatural color, like almost olive green.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She knew it was time to take shelter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She quickly ran into her bathroom and climbed into the shower. She even closed the curtain, hoping it would offer some small protection. Within minutes, the storm was on top of her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she heard the windows blow out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was just so very loud,\u201d she said. \u201cAt one point, I screamed in the shower, but I could not hear my own scream. Everybody says it sounds like a train. I wouldn\u2019t say it sounds like a train. It was just very loud. I don\u2019t ever want to do it again, that is for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 7:05 p.m., it was suddenly over, and a strange quiet settled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she heard someone calling for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She tried to go out through her back patio door, but she had to shove it open. And that was when she saw what had happened behind her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really thought everything was fine until I saw everyone else behind me,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were no roofs. No roofs at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roofs had been ripped away. Glass was everywhere. Homes that had been standing just minutes before were suddenly ripped apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lauren said she was especially grateful her 12-year-old son had gone to church with his grandparents in Dixie that night and was not home when the tornado hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the hours after the storm, neighbors began trying to understand what had happened and what came next. Then help arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To Lauren, it felt like The Salvation Army had come out of nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Salvation Army has already helped so much,\u201d she said. \u201cYou guys showed up out of nowhere. Like, are you living underground? Like, what\u2019s happening?\u201d she added with a small laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For her, the help was simple but deeply needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou gave us lunch,\u201d she said. \u201cWe had sandwiches and Cheetos and waters, and you already have done so much just by being here. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a neighborhood where roofs were gone and families were still processing the fear, damage and shock of the storm, a meal and a bottle of water were more than supplies. They were a reminder of normalcy and that no one had to face the aftermath alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a night she says she never wants to experience again, that presence meant everything.<\/p>\n