Aftermath: Storm damage ousts residents in Smith and Cherokee counties

EAST TEXAS (KLTV) - After riding out the storm in Troup and Mixon, East Texas residents say they are lucky to be alive.

The area near U.S. Hwy. 135 was the site of a suspected tornado touchdown that left a path of destruction in its wake.

Troup resident Shonna Westbrook saw the funnel form across the street from her house in the Gatewood Estates subdivision.

"We noticed that the sky to the west was black, and that there was a tornado forming in front of us." said Westbrook.

She and her husband ran to the bathroom for cover.

"We knelt there and prayed while our house was being hit." said Westbrook. "But we didn't even know we had been hit."

The tornado ripped the roof and bricks away from the home and pulled the garage door completely from the house frame.

Across the street, Verena Munday was also in her bathroom.

"Just a big, loud "clunk," I think that's when the chimney fell off," said Munday. "And then [there was] a roaring kind of noise, and then it stopped, and it was dead quiet."

Approximately 8 miles north in Bullard, a portion of County Road 118 in Smith County was wiped out, leaving the water line exposed. Authorities blocked the road, preventing any through traffic.

The Gatewood Estates residents said that despite the significant property damage, no one was injured.

"I look at this as really...quite a blessing." said Westbrook, tearfully. "When my husband and I were in that bathroom, we were praying out loud for protection, for ourselves and our neighbors."

One home down the street from Westbrook was completely destroyed, but that family happened to be out of town.

"We hear storm warnings often enough to be numb to that. This is East Texas, this is the tornado belt." said Westbrook. "And as often as I hear it, it didn't occur to me that it was going to happen to me, it just never does."

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