STORM2K

I was 11 at the time the Tornado hit. We lived in the Guadalupe area and that is where my parents rebuilt and still live today.

I remember it start raining really bad and me, my mom, my two older sisters, my brother and a niece and nephew and our dog we were all in my mom's room telling her lets go to the cellar. My dad was in the living room watching TV and when my mom told him lets go all my dad would say it's just a bad storm. Before we knew it the we heard the windows in one of the back rooms break with either the strong winds or flying debris and that is when our electricity went out at about 9:50 p.m. and my dad ran into his room and told all of us to throw ourselves on the floor cover our faces and PRAY. I don't believe I had ever prayed so hard in my life.

When the Tornado was going by destroying everything in sight it really sounded like a Train at full speed. A train that is about maybe 10 feet away from you. It tore the roof off our house off and it landed on top of our neighbors house across the alley. It rearranged all the furniture that it didn't take out of the living room. While we were on the floor praying all kinds of debris was falling on us, along with hail and rain.

When it finally seem to past my dad told all of us to hurry up and we all followed him to the cellar.

This is by far one of the worst experiences I have ever had. I never want to go through something like that again.

I remember staying at the Tech dorms a few nights. At an aunt's house and then finally moving to the Eastside. We were out house hunting with my parents when my dad asked us what we wanted them to do. Either move to a different location in the city or rebuild and of course we wanted to go back to our roots. El Barrio De Guadalupe.

The Lubbock Community did come together and there was help coming from everywhere. I remember the lunch trucks bringing food even after we had moved into our house on East Auburn and Quirt Ave. at the time.

We all have our different stories. I have been reading them and they do make you tear up. We all lost something that night of May 11, 1970, but we also gained alot from it. We gained the knowledge of knowing that when something this devastating happens our Community will come together to help those of us in need. We were fortunate that we didn't loose a family member.

I know our Good Lord was watching over us and leaving walls up or small rooms where families crowded into. Our neighborhood was probably one of the older hoods in Lubbock and for us not to have the death toll higher than what it was is a miracle in itself.

I love living in Lubbock. The size of this city is good enough for me. I'll visit other cities with heavy traffic and dozens of different things going on, but I'll always Love getting on our Interstate with not to much traffice and getting home in no time at all.