ABILENE, TX — On May 18, 2019, 317 families woke up to devastating damage.
Two early morning tornadoes snapped trees, shattered windows, and changed lives.
During a live segment that day, KTXS spoke with homeowner Jannie Rodgers about what was left of the home she raised her family in.
“I know this is a very difficult time, and we’re sorry for this. Your whole roof has been blown off,” said reporter John Rupolo.
“It has,” replied Rodgers. “Some of the ceiling has fallen into the house. But I’m okay.”
We spoke with Rodgers again just before the one-year anniversary of that day.
“I didn’t hear the rumble that people talk about,” she recalled. “What I heard was my chimney crumbling. I just heard bricks falling everywhere.”
Family and strangers helped Rodgers pack what they could.
The City of Abilene’s Emergency Management Coordinator, Vincent Cantu, told KTXS he was surprised with how the community came together.
“Our folks in the community really stood up and took care of each other,” he said. “It was really an amazing sight to see.”
Cantu said his biggest takeaway from the months long recovery effort was how the city worked together.
“Seeing how people that we depend on how they can work how far we can depend on them. And fortunately, it seems to be quite a bit those folks are great what they do.”
The debris from that tornado is gone, but Rodgers’ memory of how the community came together stuck.
“I’ve loved Abilene for a long time, but it really made me realize what good people — that we have a lot of good people here,” she said.
Cantu said this anniversary is a good reminder to have a severe weather plan in place.
You can sign up for the City of Abilene’s emergency alert system CodeRED by texting ABITAYTX to 99411.
