BON AIR, Tenn. (WTVF) — A White County family was only steps away from what could have been a tragic situation on their property Wednesday night.
Like many of the people who live in Bon Air, Tracy Prater was in her home waiting for the storms to pass through. Her husband told her to avoid the windows as strong winds howled where they live on Coal Bank Road. She recalled hearing the strong winds for about 30 seconds, but did not expect to see the shop in her backyard destroyed.
“I would have thought we would have heard some kind of loud and crazy boom,” Prater said. “I didn’t hear anything.”
The cinder block structure was clearly no match to Mother Nature as the roof peeled off and the walls crumbled. The mangled metal roof was wedged in between the trees across the property, and the blocks and equipment inside were a scattered mess.
“I didn’t think I would be walking across my garage door. I never experienced anything like this before,” Prater added.
Three trucks inside the shop were also destroyed, including one her husband first bought when they started dating. She said it was a big hit for one of her sons who worked on one of the trucks as his prize and joy.
Despite what happened, she is thankful no one was hurt. Typically, her sons would hang out working on the trucks on any given night.
“I stand here and look directly at my house and I seem my house is still there. I know things could have had a different outcome,” she said. “I’m glad my guys weren’t in the shop working.”
It is unclear if it was a tornado, but Prater suspects it was straight line winds.
Downed trees could be see in her same community. Crews were able to work fast to remove trees off downed power lines and restore electricity to most homeowners.
White County EMA Director Jimmy Savage said the county had several buildings damaged in the storm, including a few houses. Some roads in the area were closed due to flooding on Thursday.
Savage said there were two water rescues on Thursday morning after the storm. Both people are OK.
Ten minutes from Prater’s home, residents could be seen on the side of Highway 70 taking pictures of Wildcat Falls. They say because of heavy rain the past three days, the waterfall was a roaring sight to behold.
