On Tuesday afternoon, a tornado swept through parts of Texas and Irma Cantu, her daughter, and her 18-year-old grandson found themselves trapped in their SUV outside Pasadena High School.
“I looked around. There was nowhere that we could go, so, I just put the car in park. I put my emergency brake on,” Cantu said.
As the tornado approached, the family was unable to escape the storm, and dashcam footage showed the intense winds and rain hitting the vehicle.
“I could feel objects hitting my car repeatedly. It was terrifying,” Cantu said. “It was a very scary experience.”
Despite the frightening experience, Cantu managed to stay calm and believed that they would be okay.
“I guess you’re either going to panic or you’re not,” she said. “No matter what happened, I knew that we would be OK, regardless of what did happen.”
Her daughter, however, started to pray for protection. In the end, the family survived, but their SUV sustained damage, including a large dent to the rear driver’s side door.
Cantu stated that if she had known about the warnings in advance, she would have advised her daughter not to send her son to school and would have stayed at home.
“Definitely in advance, when I see that there is going to be those warnings, I’m sure going to advise my daughter not to send her son to school. I would not have left the house,” she said.
The National Weather Service rated the tornado as an EF3, with winds reaching speeds between 136 and 165 mph.
This experience has reminded Cantu of the importance of being prepared and informed during severe weather conditions. She plans to stay informed in the future and make decisions based on the safety of her family.
In conclusion, the tornado was a traumatic experience for the Cantu family, but they managed to survive and come out of it unharmed.
Their story serves as a reminder to all of us to stay informed and prepared during severe weather conditions and to always prioritize the safety of our loved ones.