A storm chaser helped save a terrified family running for their lives from their home just destroyed by a Texas twister. It was all captured on the storm chaser's video.
Freddy McKinney was filming the tornado that touched down in Hawley in centeral Texas Thursday and worried that it may have struck a house.
Suddenly he says: "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. There's people, there's people. Get in! Get in!"
Then a family and their small dog are seen on the video running down the side of the road. "Help us, please. Please God help. Hurry," says a woman with a small child in her arms. A man appears to be limping.
Later on X McKinney wrote: "Guys I'm okay I took a family to the hospital. Thank god they survived that tornado their house was absolutely leveled."
A relative of the family posted a note thanking McKinney, along with a tweet of the "banged up" — but generally smiling — family.
My cousin’s house completely destroyed. I’ll be connecting with them ASAP this morning after I get my kids off to school, and I’ll be sharing their needs and any updates I can. Thanks everyone for your love and support, especially @FreddyMcKinneyR & pic.twitter.com/ryiHLCbb1Z
— Bradye Lynn McQueen (@Bradye_McQueen) May 3, 2024
The cousin is hosting a GoFundMe appeal for the family, Wes and Kasey Lambert and their two children.
A number of people were injured and several homes destroyed by the tornado.
The twister was the latest of a series of powerful storms that have rocked Texas and nearby states. Texas Gov. Greg Abbot on Thursday issued a disaster declaration followng strom destruction and "life-threatening" flooding in the Houston area.
