Many people, including 23-month-old Parker, were asleep when the EF-4 tornado devastated parts of London, Kentucky, last week. But as a deadly tornado roared closer, his mother was alert and listening.
Tara Hollifield claimed that when the deadly tornado struck on May 16, she was not notified of the tornado warning because of an internet outage.
“For some reason, where we lived, we didn’t get any cell service,” she stated. “So people were trying to message me telling me it was coming, but I wasn’t getting any of the messages. I heard it coming.”
When the tornado struck and Hollifield was unable to locate her son, she experienced her worst nightmare.
“I didn’t know if he was dead or alive,” she stated. “Thankfully, he was crying, and that’s how I was able to find him by listening, following his cry.”
Parker was rescued from the wreckage of their house by Hollifield.
Parker is doing well following the storm and will celebrate his second birthday on May 30. His mother has some scratches and bruises from her injuries.
“For the first couple of days, I think, you know, it was a little rough on him,” Hollifield stated. “Now, he’s acting like his normal self again, like nothing really ever even happened.”
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Hollifield stated that she intends to be more weather-aware following this terrifying experience. Because they strike when people are least prepared, nocturnal tornadoes, like the one that struck London, can be more lethal.
Laurel County is still being cleaned up, and neighbours and people nationwide are helping.
“They’ve been amazing,” Hollifield stated. “When we’ve been there. There’s always been hundreds of people, helping people, trying to see if there’s any items that are salvageable, helping pick up debris. They’ve been out there giving food and water. The community’s been amazing.”
On May 16, tornadoes struck Kentucky, resulting in 19 fatalities and 10 major injuries.
