Pearl River woman recalls moment tornado hit her home

Ashley Hamilton
·1 min read

PEARL RIVER, La. (WGNO) — The EF-2 tornado that hit the Slidell area is still heavy on the minds of residents.

“And it went over the house here. As you can see, one of the branches came in here like boom boom boom shaking,” said Tanya Michel.

Michel and her family knew there was a tornado in the area, but they had no idea it was right outside their door. The sound of a tree crashing down on a room near her grandson alerted them.

“The whole side shifted. So, right here on the side by the wall by the window you can see the wall cracked. All that is the roof that went down,” said Michel.

Frantically, her biggest concern became her bedridden sister Melissa and her husband, who is also in poor health.

“He was in such a state of shock he couldn’t talk. He had brain surgery three years ago, so you know he tends to catch seizures,” said Michel.

Body cam footage shows moments after tornado strikes Slidell

Luckily, everyone made it out without a scratch. She gives thanks to the EMS crew and her neighbors.

“Everybody tries to help Mellissa, we all take care of Mellissa. It was just like they just came in and came running. I’m going to my papa’s tarp, I’m going get the ladder and get on the roof,” said Michel.

Michel says even though the entire house has to be repaired, she’s grateful they are all alive.

“It’s very indescribable. I have never been through anything like this and everybody just came together and rallied around us,” said Michel.

If you would like to help the family with restoring their home, visit their GoFundMe.

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