CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In the heart of one of the neighborhoods in Clarksville, hit the hardest by the Saturday tornado, there's a military family with a remarkable story of survival. "A place that we’ve lived a little over a year, completely gone in a matter of minutes," said Dale Guimond, who is a soldier stationed at Fort Campbell.
Their home took a direct hit from the tornado, meaning their roof was ripped off while they were bracing for cover in their interior bathroom. "This is where we were, right here in this tub,' Guimond told us.
He and his wife put their three kids, all under the age of three, in the tub and used their own bodies to shield their children from any flying debris. "Got the kids in the tub, made sure they were covered in blankets and I acted as a human shield along with my wife," he said. "One of the neighbors down the street as soon as he saw our roof missing, he ran over, kicked down the door to check on us and helped us carry the kids out of the house and into theirs for safety."
Sadly, the home is a total loss between the roof damage and the water damage from the rain that followed. Guimond says he's already in touch with their Realtor who is looking for a quick replacement for them to move into.
In the meantime, Guimond has relied on the kindness of friends and strangers to help him salvage what little they could retrieve from the home.
Guimond also found remarkable generocity in line at a nearby Walmart. He went to the store Saturday night, in hopes of purchasing replacement clothes for his three children. When he told a man in line, the man purchased those clothes for them. Guimond says they could have afforded to do it themselves, but he was deeply moved by the gesture.
"It’s good to find the good in humanity after a disaster like this," he said
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
