MANCHESTER, Tenn. (BP)–Worshippers at Hillcrest Baptist Church huddled in a hallway as a tornado roared through their community, killing two people and injuring a dozen — some critically.
Pastor Tim Callaway said members of the Manchester, Tenn., church were alerted to the oncoming tornado by children who were onboard a van parked in front of the building.
“They said they could see a tornado coming so we got everyone together and huddled together in a hallway,” Callaway said. “You could hear the wind and debris hitting the building.”
The storm ripped off a portion of the church’s roof and exploded a number of windows. Otherwise, Callaway said, the building was spared significant damage.
Between severe weather squalls, Callaway said a man walked into the church bleeding. The pastor walked out onto the front porch of the church and found several nearby houses demolished.
“We set the man down and wrapped up his arm to stop the bleeding,” Callaway said. “Then we went out and searched for survivors.”
Located in a rural area of middle Tennessee, Callaway said Hillcrest became a place of refuge for injured and homeless people moments after the disaster.
One was a woman found lying in a field. She had been blown from her home. She is listed in serious condition at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. The woman’s 10-year-old son perished in the storm. The family lived next door to the church.
“It was some time later before they were able to move a wall and they found the little boy,” the pastor said. Several church members assisted in the recovery effort as rescuers moved the child’s body onto a broken tabletop.
Callaway said none of his congregation was injured but a deacon lost his home in the storm’s fury. Another house next to the church was blown several hundred yards off its foundation, leaving behind a clean slab.
“Needless to say I won’t be making the convention today,” Callaway said in reference to the Nov. 10 start of the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s annual meeting.
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