Donna woke up about 3 a.m. with the house literally shaking around her! Dallas was infamous for bad storms, especially in the springtime and it didn't help that they were in "Tornado Alley". Tornado Alley is a term given for the states in which one fourth of the significant tornadoes occur. It covers almost all of Texas, including 18 other states.
The thunder and lightning were striking faster and louder than she had heard in a while. It sounded like the storm was sitting right on top of the house. Donna grabbed her cellphone and purse and raced for the safe room. She just made it in, turned the light on and bolted the door shut when the Sirens started to go off at Courthouse. This meant "Tornado on the ground". Donna said a prayer for God to keep her safe and then all hell seemed to have opened up. She could hear the sound that a tornado makes before it hits. It sounded like a freight train going at warp speed and then more bumps against the room and noises of broken glass, and things flying in the air. The light flickered and then went out completely. Emergency lights came on and within another five or so minutes, all was quite again. Donna, glad that it was finally over, cried tears of sheer relief! She hadn't realized it but her whole body had been shaking. The good thing was that she was alive and had made it through a tornado. The bad thing was that the house didn't. Now came the hard part, opening the door and seeing the damage done!
Pushing the door open was a chore on its own. As she pushed, she felt something tumble, then glass breaking. She carefully stepped out of the mess with only her flashlight. Trying to maneuver around, her foot slipped and she went down between some broken dining room chairs and managed to get lodged there, not able to move. She reached for her cell phone, when she heard a man call out to her,
It was a Dallas fireman. Relieved, she called back and she knew she would be okay. He asked her if she were injured as he got to her. He reached down into the twisted mess and dislodged Donna's foot. Then taking her up in his arms, he slowly worked his way through the dining room and managed to get Donna outside. Had this whole thing not been so traumatic, Donna might have enjoyed being carried by a muscled up, good looking fireman but this was not the time or place.
Outside, the neighborhood looked like it had been bombed! Fire trucks were putting out small fires. Ambulances were everywhere with the sound of sirens as they pulled out for the local hospital where Donna worked.
Tucked comfortably in the ambulance gurney, the tears started seeping out of her eyes and before she knew it, a torrent of tears fell. First, she lost her husband
and best friend, and now no house, how much was one person suppose to take!
A stream of doctors and nurses from work were crowding in to see her the moment she arrived in the Emergency Room from the ambulance. Her young nurses were realizing just how much she actually meant to them, as well as the nurses who had trained with her when she first arrived at the hospital. Donna also realized how quick life can change from one moment to the next. She thanked God for being alive whether she had a home or not. As long as there is life, there is hope, and Donna was a strong woman full of life and hope.