It's still hard to believe that it happened to us, but when you look at what all happened for us to survive, we lost pretty much everything we owned by an act of God, but it was also an act of God that we're all still here together, and that's really all that matters.
A month from now Hannah Matthew will join the rest of this year’s Rhea County High School graduating class as they close one chapter of their life and begin preparing for the future. In the meantime there are still a few memories to be made, and for Hannah those will come on the track, where she anchors every sprint relay and also competes in the 400-meter dash, hoping to return to the state championship meet.
One of numerous survivors of the tornado outbreak from five years ago, Rhea County senior Hannah Matthew said she’s thankful her family came through the horror of the storm stronger.Regardless of how she closes out her athletic career, however, Hannah and her family are simply grateful that after their nightmare of April 27, 2011, they still have the chance to make new memories together.
Five years ago today, the spree of tornadoes that swept through 16 states claimed 317 lives, including 81 in the Tennessee Valley. Pockets of Chattanooga’s tri-state area were battered, including Dayton Mountain, where the Matthew family’s home rested and where a 200-mph EF4 tornado tore a swath through Bledsoe and Rhea counties.
“We lost everything,” Hannah said, before pausing to correct her thought. “It’s still hard to believe that it happened to us, but when you look at what all happened for us to survive, we lost pretty much everything we owned by an act of God, but it was also an act of God that we’re all still here together, and that’s really all that matters.”