We Took a Direct Hit From a Large Tornado
Summary
TLDRDaniel and DJ from Arms Family Homestead recount their harrowing experience with devastating storms that brought 4 to 5 feet of water through their pasture, causing significant damage. They describe the challenges of keeping their elderly family member safe in a storm shelter and the loss of DJ's mom's store, Buffalo Hippie, to the tornado. The aftermath includes searching for a missing baby donkey, assessing the damage to their property, and the emotional toll of the disaster. Despite the tragedy, they express gratitude for their family's safety and discuss plans to help their community recover. They provide an update on how viewers can contribute to disaster relief efforts through a local bank, emphasizing the importance of supporting those affected by the storms.
Takeaways
- 🌪️ A devastating storm, including a tornado, hit the area causing significant damage to the town and the family's homestead.
- 🏚️ Downtown Sulfur was severely impacted, with DJ's mom's store, Buffalo Hippie, being destroyed.
- 👵 DJ's grandmother, who is almost 93 years old, was with the family in the storm shelter during the tornado.
- 💧 The family experienced an unprecedented amount of rainfall, with 4 to 5 feet of water coming through the pasture.
- 🚶 A baby donkey is missing, likely swept away by the floodwaters, and the family is searching for it.
- 🏡 The family's house was spared, but the greenhouse and fences were severely damaged, with many items being washed away.
- 🛠️ Daniel and DJ are eager to help their community and plan to use their equipment to assist in the recovery efforts.
- 🔄 There is a sense of community and support, with the family feeling fortunate that their home and family members are safe despite the destruction around them.
- 🚧 The town's infrastructure was heavily damaged, including a local business and historic downtown buildings.
- 💰 The family is considering ways to raise funds for the community, such as through a t-shirt campaign or other charitable efforts.
- 🎂 Amidst the chaos, the family celebrates the 16th birthday of their daughter, Emily, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.
Q & A
What was the weather event that caused the damage described in the transcript?
-The weather event that caused the damage was a series of devastating storms that included a massive tornado and heavy rainfall.
How long were Daniel and DJ in the storm shelter?
-Daniel and DJ were in the storm shelter for about 3 hours.
What was the age of DJ's grandmother who was with them in the storm shelter?
-DJ's grandmother was almost 93 years old.
What was the name of DJ's mom's store that was destroyed in the storm?
-The name of the store was Buffalo Hippie.
How high did the water get on the greenhouse?
-The water got up to 4 feet on the greenhouse.
What happened to the fences in the donkey pasture?
-All the fences in the donkey pasture were knocked down and destroyed by the water and debris.
What was the condition of the baby donkey after the storm?
-The baby donkey was missing, and it was uncertain whether it survived the storm given the high water levels.
What was the estimated depth of the water that came through the pasture?
-The estimated depth of the water was four to five feet.
What was the condition of the greenhouse after the storm?
-The greenhouse was severely damaged with water levels reaching 4 feet, and many wicking tubs were either destroyed or washed away.
How did the storm affect the local community and businesses?
-The storm caused significant damage to the local community, with many businesses, including a multi-million dollar business called Disco Automotive, being completely destroyed.
What was the plan for helping the community after the storm?
-The plan was to utilize available equipment to help clear debris and assist people in town whose buildings and homes were damaged. There was also a mention of potential fundraising efforts to support the town's recovery.
How can people donate to help with disaster relief in the community?
-People can donate to help with disaster relief by visiting a specified website through a local bank in the hometown.
Outlines
🌪️ Tornado Aftermath and Family Safety
Daniel and DJ from Arms Family Homestead recount their harrowing experience during a series of devastating storms that included tornadoes. They describe taking shelter for three hours with DJ's 93-year-old grandmother. Sulfur, where DJ's mom's store 'Buffalo Hippie' was located, suffered a direct hit, resulting in significant damage. The aftermath includes assessing the condition of their animals, noting the high water levels that flooded the greenhouse and destroyed fences, and the concern for a missing baby donkey due to the severe flooding.
🏘️ Exploring the Damage and Reuniting Animals
The video continues with the hosts exploring the extent of the damage around their property. They find debris on the bridge and a wicking tub from the greenhouse, indicating the high water levels. They discuss the destruction of fences and the temporary relocation of their donkeys to the goat pasture due to the damage. The search for the missing baby donkey continues, with the hosts expressing concern about the difficulty the young animal would have faced against the powerful floodwaters.
🚜 Planning Recovery and Aiding the Community
Despite the devastation, the hosts are determined to help their community. They discuss the challenges of accessing their equipment due to the muddy and messy conditions. A plan is formulated to use a piece of equipment to assist friends whose buildings and homes have been destroyed. The urgency to act is emphasized as they prepare to move the equipment to a safer location once conditions allow, highlighting the resilience and community spirit in the face of disaster.
🏚️ The Impact on Local Businesses and the Community
The hosts express their concern for the broader community, mentioning the destruction of a neighbor's multi-million dollar business, Disco Automotive. They contrast this with the relative safety of their own property, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of the storm's impact. The video captures the emotional toll of the disaster, as they discuss the loss of a baby donkey and the need to reassure and comfort their animals. They also mention the need to help with the cleanup and recovery efforts in town.
📫 Post-Disaster Cleanup and Emotional Resilience
The narrative shifts to the cleanup process and the emotional challenges faced by the hosts and their community. They discuss the loss of a local post office and the urgency to remove expensive bison meat from a damaged facility. The hosts express empathy for a mother donkey that lost her baby and the broader impact on their friends and family. They acknowledge the blessing of their family's safety amidst the tragedy and the need to replace destroyed fences. The mention of a fatality and ongoing search and rescue efforts underscores the severity of the situation.
🌱 Greenhouse Destruction and Future Fundraising
The hosts survey the damage to their greenhouse, noting the high water levels and the debris that was once inside. They express relief that they were not growing a garden at the time. The video captures the hosts' commitment to supporting their community, with plans to share information about fundraising efforts to help those affected. They provide an update on a local bank's initiative for disaster relief donations and encourage viewers to contribute. The video concludes with a personal note about the host's daughter's birthday and a reminder to spread kindness and smiles in the face of adversity.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Storm Shelter
💡Tornado
💡Devastation
💡Greenhouse
💡Flood
💡Donkeys
💡Debris
💡Alpacas
💡Community Support
💡Charitable Efforts
💡Infrastructure Damage
Highlights
Daniel and DJ from Arms Family Homestead experienced devastating storms that lasted for hours.
They took shelter for approximately 3 hours with DJ's 93-year-old grandmother.
Sulphur, where DJ's grandmother lives, was directly hit by a massive tornado causing extensive damage.
DJ's mom's store, Buffalo Hippie, was severely damaged and is now non-existent.
The storms occurred in waves every 30 minutes, each potentially generating tornadoes.
The family found their donkeys mixed together with fences knocked down and water levels reaching up to 4 feet.
A baby donkey is missing, likely swept away by the 4 to 5 feet of water that came through the pasture.
The greenhouse was flooded with water up to 4 feet high, causing significant damage and loss of equipment.
Debris from destroyed buildings and a washed-out bridge indicate the extent of the storm's impact.
The family is trying to relocate their animals to areas with intact fences due to the widespread damage.
Despite the devastation, the family expresses gratitude for their safety and the safety of their family members.
The community is mobilizing to help each other, with Daniel planning to use his equipment to assist in town.
A local business, Disco Automotive, was completely destroyed by the tornado.
The family is considering ways to raise funds for the community, such as through t-shirts or charitable donations.
A website has been set up for direct donations to support disaster relief in their community.
Daniel emphasizes the importance of community support and staying positive during difficult times.
The family is focusing on cleanup and recovery, with Daniel's daughter Emily celebrating her 16th birthday amidst the chaos.
Transcripts
but there was four to 5T of water coming
through this
pasture
and we have no idea where she's
at what's up guys it's Daniel and DJ
from arms family Homestead and I'm sure
by now most everyone knows um went
through some pretty devast ating storms
last night we were in the storm shelter
for 3 hours probably yeah until almost
2:00 this time uh luckily um DJ's
grandma was with us she's uh 93 almost
93 almost 93 years old and getting her
down in a storm
shelters not the easiest thing to do but
she lives in town in Sulfur and sulur
took a direct hit from a massive tornado
lots of devastating damage um down town
area is pretty much gone DJ's mom owns a
store downtown called buffalo hippie and
it's pretty much non-existent anymore um
there was just like wave after wave
after wave of these storms that were
coming through about every 30 minutes
and they were all spinning up tornadoes
in the area and uh I think everything is
good here but DJ and I just woke up we
were up most of the night just woke up
and looked out in the yard and all the
donkeys are mixed together
and Charlie was walking across the yard
so we got to get Brandon separated but
guys I don't know how much rain we got
in just a few hours last night I've
never I've never seen anything like this
in my life I've lived here my entire
life and I've never seen water get up
this High Charlie you back in your
pasture
uh I have no idea where the donkeys went
okay we got to get Brandon guys like
okay so our house is here right the
creek is the creek runs down there you
guys have seen the creek a million times
I can see it h yeah I can see the creek
too I know we're not doing anything in
the greenhouse but look how high the
water was there
was the water was 4 ft up on the
greenhouse and it knocked down all of
our fences there's self-wicking tubs
that were in the Greenhouse have floated
out and
probably you know what Marissa was
supposed to come get all my wicking tubs
yesterday for flowers well there they
are well most of them are probably in
the creek and gone we had a bunch more
there were about 20 in there so well
uh but oh my gosh all of our fences are
just laying on the ground from debris
from the
water uh
we need to get a halter and Lead rope
we've got to get Brandon separated all
the donkeys are together because all the
fences are down back here looks like the
goat pasture is
okay so we'll have to put Brandon up
there with the goats for now okay
okay
guys we're missing the baby donkey DJ's
looking
Felicia had her baby just a couple weeks
ago but there was four to 5 ft of water
coming through this
pasture
and we have no idea where she's at
[Music]
I think we lost a baby donkey
guys we're still searching
but I mean you could imagine how much
water it takes to completely rip out a
fence that went through
here you know there's got to be some
spots four 5 6 ft of water going through
here and
uh little baby donkey just can't can't
fight can't swim through that
we'll keep looking she may have gone to
high ground but I think her mama would
have found her by
now guys
I've never seen the creek this
High I'm almost 40 I mean it's not that
high right
now but look at the debris on the
bridge there was water above the bottom
of the bridge but let's explore up here
so this telephone pole I have tied a
boat to this telephone pole in the past
in 2015 but
I've never seen water almost 6 feet up
in the
air
yeah where the I know I saw it there's
one of the wicking tubs one of my old
wicking tubs from
the from the greenhouse so we're going
to walk up here and show you where
the water line from the creek
[Applause]
was oh my gosh
yeah that came from my
Greenhouse
so here's
where the final water line
was okay let me turn around and show you
how far we are from the
creek that's how high the creek got last
night and you can see debris up on the
bridge was taking fences out here took
out all our fence all our fences are
destroyed in all the donkey pasture
areas there's some sheet metal
debris I don't like I said I don't think
we took any actual tornado
damage but there's debris
from someone
else's metal building for
sure oh
gosh we got to check on all our people
[Applause]
come on
donkeys let's
go come on
Mama I'm sorry we can't find your
baby we'll keep looking I
promise okay come here I
know it's okay Mama it's okay
everybody's a little scared this morning
all right here hang on let me open the
gate y'all are going to have to live
with the goats for a
while I think all the goat pin fences
are good cuz it's a little higher
ground come on
donkeys come on
donkeys come
on come on
let's go Brandon you're going to have to
go live with the boys for a little
while I got one one more Mama to
get baby Baker's
okay I'm going to have to get Fiona over
here no come on Fiona hey hey hey
Felicia get back get back get back get
back get back get
back F's being hard-headed this morning
Felicia you can't go I'm sorry go get
back get back
Bri come on hi baby
girl might to miss some of that during
the
night well maybe he didn't get the ones
that didn't need to be bread bread
you got to go with the
bo we don't have any way to keep
everybody separate now we
have the Bro pin and the Goat pin and
that's all we're down to right now
yep sounds like a lot of donkeys might
be going
to merch Place yeah if there's fences
over there yeah Mom's going to look
why why aren't we well we are but she
said they'd go
[Applause]
now come on sorry up on your
eyes come
on to be
[Applause]
aners the Bros are
[Music]
good come
on come
on there you all right Charlie you okay
buddy come on
come
on got to go live with the goats for a
little while take a lift there you go
this direct path is less than a mile
from our merch
building oh my
gosh you see the alpacas anywhere no
y
there hey
girls you have a rough
night a little spooky are you hey
fancy you all
okay
good yeah they're a little spooky but
they're okay and all their fences are
good less than a mile away total
Destruction our uh neighbor big big
business called disco Automotive it's
completely destroyed and it's
a multi-million dollar business I mean
it just tornado ripped through it but
everything looks good here less than a
mile from it though
[Music]
all right you guys there's just there's
just not much at all that I can do here
it's too muddy too messy we got
everything put up as best we can for now
we're still missing a baby donkey
and probably not going to find that baby
but I've got too much equipment sitting
here to not utilize problem is I can't
get it out right now
so there's no way I can drag this stuff
out of here across that Creek I'm kind
of waiting on the creek to go down but
I've Got Friends in town who lots of
friends personal close friends best
friends whose buildings are destroyed
whose homes are in shambles and uh got
the perect perfect piece of equipment
here so I'm at least going to get this
thing fueled up get it down by the creek
as soon as it gets down low enough my
buddy that's got the bulldozer that's
been helping me on my neighbor property
they own a a liquor store in town and it
got smashed and he owns a recer service
so he's going to bring one of his roll
backs and at least get me to town with
this and we can start helping people so
we'll
see
well Creek's too deep still I just it's
not not safe to
cross just uh I don't know how much mud
and debris piled up over there I drove
out in here got up where water was
coming onto the onto the cab pretty good
and I still hadn't quite hit the deepest
part it just sucks cuz Freedom's right
there huh my only other option is to
drive this thing across my neighbor's
pasture and get out but it's about a
mile drive to where somebody could where
we could load it up it's too muddy to
take a trailer across a pasture
so I I can't I can't sit here and do
nothing all right on to plan
B uh this is going to take a minute but
we're going to get there merch
building's good our rides here let's
load this thing
[Music]
up well I didn't get the loading on
video but
uh it's a little intense back backing up
on this
[Music]
thing all right let's do this you guys
know me I can't sit around and not do
anything at all it's tearing me up
inside so we found a way where there's a
wheel there's a way we're going to take
this thing town try to help as many
people as we can
down down smashed
off
mhm all car par up here yep
[Music]
[Applause]
all right really
get this backom here yeah let me just
move this a little bit huh might let me
move this just a little bit then I can
slide all that for easy
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
on
[Music]
not
[Music]
l
so
much be
careful e
think so that that is our post
office holy
cow W Emily mouse pad was on the
floor think she to put
[Music]
go
out so OG is uh that's our uh Power
company they are making us hurry up and
get everyone
out like immediately buildings are
starting to collapse I guess so we're
going to have to hurry up and get out
Dusty is trying to get all of his bison
meat out of here uh because it's
obviously um very expensive and we need
to get that taken care of so we're
fixing to leave
hey
Mama sorry we can't find your
baby I just don't think she's going to
be coming
back you got Bri you're going to adopt
Bri for us Bri need a mama
H I'm sorry I know you're
sad well y'all
that was quite the
day quite the night last night quite the
day
today sitting here looking around at the
mess we've got to clean
up but feeling very blessed and
fortunate we're all still here our
family's all safe all of our family's
homes are
safe a lot of
friends property was destroyed a lot of
friends
stuff and just stuff I'm my
mother-in-law's store her business is
gone my best friends you know their
business is gone one of their
businesses and we've just got a mess to
clean up lots of fences
down fences can be replaced lives can't
and there were there was at least one
fatality um all we were cleaning up the
mess today they still in search and
rescue mode and I'm thankful I'm blessed
that I'm not on that side of things
anymore I feel like I can actually do
more help more with equipment and things
but one one person was located in the in
the rubble downtown just caddy corner
from my uh mother-in-law's store and
small town
America I mean everybody knows everybody
I don't know how many people were
injured I haven't heard any final
reports but so far that I know of only
one fatality
and uh for that I guess we're we're
blessed our family was blessed and we're
[Applause]
safe it's just a it's just a
mess you guys are going to have to bear
with me and walk with me on this one you
see all these railroad
ties I Ed those railroad ties I used a
bunch of railroad ties a couple years
ago to build a little drive over bridge
by the pond and the pond is several
hundred yards through the timber that
way and that bridge or drive over is
washed out I said I have no idea where
all the railroad ties
went never would have dreamed they'd be
sitting here almost in the
greenhouse they are piled up against
that tree there probably scattered all
over this
pasture and then fences are some of the
fences are completely gone it's
a let's walk in the greenhouse obviously
it was not growing a garden in here but
look at the look at the water level look
how high the water was in the greenhouse
okay so a lot of the stuff you see all
the trash back here was inside our
Greenhouse I
guess it's a mess look at this I guess
I'm glad I wasn't growing a Garden in
the
greenhouse because there would be
nothing
left it uh it just destroyed everything
in here floated out all of my wicin tubs
it's crazy the crazy thing is is those
wicking tubs were supposed to go to my
sister-in-law to Marissa cross timers
bison like this week matter of fact she
was actually supposed to come pick them
up yesterday but with the weather they
didn't and a lot of them
are well not a lot of them some of them
are right there some of them went down
the creek and probably ended up in the
lake and I'm sure by now by the time
this posts everyone will seen have seen
all the news footage there were TV
cameras TV Crews from all over the place
helicopters flying all over downtown our
little small Hometown America Historic
downtown buildings that were you know
over 100 years old hey go
uh are just gone I'm sure most of you
have seen that by now and the
devastation that I show it on the video
it's
just it's hard to
comprehend when it hits so close to home
it's not our first go around with a with
a tornado but still it's it doesn't
matter how many times you go through it
it's still devastating but I have no
idea
what what this looks like moving forward
um I'm sure there's going to be some
GoFundMe things and there's going to be
some things set in place to raise some
money and when I figure all that out I
will uh pass it along to you guys cuz I
I'm not kidding when I say you guys have
probably crashed a couple servers at
Yahoo emailing us and we appreciate it
but I I just can't respond to hundreds
of
emails about what's going on and if
we're safe and everything but I tried to
make some posts on Facebook and things
to let everybody know we are safe so
we're good just have a mess not even
going to start here for a while this is
all going to have to dry out this this
is not even on the Forefront of my brain
right now with the devastation that
we're dealing with with friends and
family
and it's just a anyways when we figure
out something if there's going to be a a
charitable thing that people can donate
to we may have to come up with a t-shirt
or something to support our town
something to raise some money to help
support people cuz a lot of folks are
going to need some help and uh we'll
pass that along to you when that time
comes so quick update really quick uh I
was editing this video and there's
actually been some changes so uh if
you're wanting to donate to help the
disaster relief in our community you can
visit the website I'll put it on the
screen it's Bank first. b/s sufur b n c
f i r
S.B an K huh SL s u l p h uur I'll put a
link in the description box down below
there is a place you can donate we're
not they're not doing anything with
GoFundMe or any other type of websites
anything like that it's all done
straight through a bank in our hometown
and uh they're taking donations that way
so update there you go anyways I'm tired
haven't eaten all
day and today is my daughter's 16th
birthday today Emily turned 16 and
I couldn't be more proud of her and just
who she is but we're going to go have
dinner and celebrate her try to put all
this out of our mind for the rest of the
evening so
guys I don't think I did anything today
to make anybody smile but remember do
something today to make somebody smile
because you never know it just might
change the world guys thanks for
watching I hope you enjoyed
it we appreciate the support we
appreciate all the love and uh we'll
keep you updated and we'll see you on
the next video
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