Lynchburg family loses barn, family heirlooms in tornado
The National Weather Service confirmed at least one tornado tore through portions of Brown, Highland and Clinton Counties early Thursday morning.
Josh Powers' house, barn and property in Lynchburg were heavily damaged.
Siding from a barn and personal belongings that were inside were strewn across farmland.
"Probably about a mile down the road through the field," Powers said.
Shortly after 1 a.m., Powers woke up to the sound of heavy wind.
"Heard a lot of rain. Heard the freight train noise come through, and then I heard my wall pull out and snap and come back in," Powers said.
The front of his house pulled off its foundation as Powers, his wife and kids were all inside.
When he walked outside, he couldn't believe the destruction.
"This was my shop. All my tools, everything was in here. Now it's everywhere," Powers said. "Just a lot of personal heirlooms from family members that ain't here no more. A lot of my military stuff is gone, keepsakes."
Not to mention the family's "oasis." Their fully stocked pond now looks like muddy wasteland.
Their pool is filled with fallen trees.
"Everything back here is destroyed," Powers said.
The one saving grace is that all of the family's animals survived and are accounted for, including their pet pig, Magpie.
"She was hidden in the back corner under her little tree. That's where I found her at this morning," Powers said.
Although it's difficult for the Powers' to wrap their head around the destruction all around them, they do realize they're also surrounded by friendship and love.
"My father-in-law, he's in the Lions Club. Also, the man sitting on the truck, he's Lions Club. They all came out and helped," Powers said. "It's a lot to take in. It will probably hit tomorrow."
Friends and family members are also helping the family by donating to a GoFundMe set up to help them with the cleanup.