VAN ZANDT COUNTY — South Van Zandt County saw some of the worst damage following the tornado outbreak on April 29. The National Weather Service has determined an EF-4 ripped through that area. At least five homes on Farm-to-Market Road 1651 were completely leveled.
One of those homes belonged to Lisa Smith, who says she was taking shelter in her closet when the tornado demolished her house.
"I thought I was dying, I thought I was getting fixed to get swept up with the rest of the house. I thought there's no way I'm going to survive this,” said Smith. “It was the scariest thing I have ever experienced and I just knew I was going to die and I just wanted it to be over with."
While Smith’s home was being swept away, she says she could only think about her family.
"I don't want to die today, I don't want to leave my family," said Smith.
It was a life changing experience for Smith and her twin sister, Laura Williams, who lives next door. Williams and her husband Biff were also able to escaped unharmed by hiding in a closet.
"We thought we were going to die, we did,” said Biff. “We huddled together to pray and held on to each other."
Both families have started the cleanup process but say they are not worried about plans to rebuild.
"We're not worried about plans, we're not worried about anything,” said Williams. “We have each other, we have our beautiful children, we own nothing right now but we have everything."