Five years after the 2011 tornado outbreak, people are still healing from the terror and heartache of that day. But some scars are more apparent than others.
The tornadoes, some a mile wide, barreled through the lives of thousands in their paths and left wastelands behind. Trees older than anyone alive were ripped from the ground and launched like missiles into buildings. Brick homes were wiped clean off the face of the Earth, leaving behind only bare, concrete slabs.
Matt Ryerson, president and CEO of the United Way of Bradley County, said his home was in the direct path of one of the worst tornadoes of the day – an EF4 that ripped through Catoosa County, Ga., before crossing into Southeast Tennessee.
“My wife and I actually saw it coming,” he said. “It was well after sunset, but you could still see the light on the horizon and we could see a perfect funnel cloud coming at us.”
Ryerson and his wife grabbed the kids and dove into a closet moments before the chaos began. He said it sounded like a deafening chainsaw.