Last week’s tornado storm left 30 houses heavily damaged in Augusta, the cleanup begins

Augusta, Arkansas – At least 30 houses are heavily damaged in Augusta as a result of the Friday’s tornado and the cleanup process has finally begun.

The area is in total mess, but some are lucky to be alive as they found themselves in the middle of the storm last Friday. One of them is Gladys Thompson who witnessed the storm first hand.

“The last wind that came through, I said well, this is it. I’m a goner. And all of the sudden it stopped,” she said.

It was a split-second decision that saved her life.

“I jumped in the closet, the linen closet, and that’s where I stayed,” Gladys said.

If the decided to stay instead of jumping in the closet, she would have more certainly died since the walls in the bedroom collapsed. She is lucky to be alive.

Thompson’s home is located in the area where the tornado hit the most and left most damages. Her house is among those 30 that suffered the largest damages. A small neighborhood along Highway 33 was the hardest hit, which is also home to Augusta’s mayor, Jeff Collins.

“It very scary, but when we got out, you know, you take for granted hearing your neighbor’s voices when you talk to them,” Collins said. “After a storm like that, whenever you’re able to call them and answer that phone, ‘Yes, we’re okay.’ Some of them were trapped, but we got in and got them.”

Collins said that two people were injured and transferred to hospital for treatment following the tornado. According to his most recent information, they are expected to recover soon. Collins believe that the divine intervention was the key factor resulting with no deaths.

“Only God. You know, only God can do that. There’s no other explanation,” he said.

The cleanup process in Augusta is already ongoing and the local residents would appreciate any help, whether in the cleanup process or financial help.