Sequoyah County Family Cleans Up After Tornado Destroys Home

No one was injured when a tornado touched down near Sallisaw late Saturday night. One family did see their home destroyed by the tornado.

KFSM, the CBS affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas visited with Chris Reese and his two sons, Everett, 9, and Garrison, 7, as they sorted through the debris left by the tornado.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down south of Sallisaw at 11:20 p.m. Saturday. The tornado was 250 yards wide and traveled for one-half mile with winds between 100-110 mph.

4/1/2013 Related Story: Tornado Damage Confirmed In Sequoyah County

Chris Reese and his two sons were home when the storm struck.

"Tornado coming right across that ridge," Chris Reese said as he pointed to the field across the street.

He said all three took cover in their home's bathroom.

"From the time I first heard the tornado to the time it was over and we were trying to get out of the house, it was less than a minute," Chris Reese said.

Less than a minute later, their home was destroyed. The roof had been peeled off. The installation was torn to shreds, and plastered in the trees outside.

"My oldest boy said ‘Well, this is has been a bad, long weekend,' and I said, ‘Yeah, it kind of has,'" Chris Reese said.

Garrison Reese reminded his dad how lucky they were just to survive the storm.

"I guess its that little kid point of view," Chris Reese said. "It definitely made you stop and think and realize what's important. You know all of that stuff in there, all those toys can be replaced. And he's right, all of it can be so it doesn't really matter."

The family says they expect to move into their new home sometime within the next few days.

After they get settled, Chris Reese says he'll figure out what to do with the home that was destroyed.