Storm ravaged Delaware County communities get assistance

Tuesday, March 14th 2006, 10:09 am

By: News On 6

The door is open for Delaware County communities ravaged by this weekend's tornado to receive federal assistance. The govenor began the process Tuesday by declaring the county a disaster area.

News on 6 anchor Tami Marler explains what that means for one family.

Luggie Brackett is at a loss. The family dog, Little Bit is missing, she has no insurance and no idea how she'll recover from the tornado that ravaged her home.

Still, going through this mess is nothing compared to what she was going through Sunday night. "I was rushing home. I got pulled over in Kansas, they wouldn't let me through. I was trying to get home to them boys." When she finally made it to the house, she found her home pinned under two massive trees that had been blown over. Her sons were nowhere in sight.

So she and others in the community went on a frantic search. "What if they're laying under all these trees where the trailer went up and shifted. Two trees went in front in back and tore everything up inside and everything flying around. I went out to the fields, asking God if he happened to take my boys, please give me a sign and let me know my boys were okay."

Luggie's prayers were answered when she found the boys with an uncle in Tahlequah the next day. "He said everything was blowing, the tornado already struck, he just told my boys, 'y'all goin' with me.'"

Martin and Carlos Torres were in a bedroom when the tornado hit, with no time to get to shelter. "Sounded like a jet was in the sky and sounded real close to us and the house started shaking and we got down underneath the covers. It was shaking like an earthquake and it lifted up the trailer and it was lifting up until a tree fell down and it slammed it into the tree and made it drop again."

Luggie believes those uprooted trees may have saved her sons' lives, by pinning-down her trailer. With Little Bit located, everyone's accounted for and federal help may be coming soon.