Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Friday, December 13, 2024 78° Today's Paper


Parents find 4-month-old boy after Tennessee tornado tossed him

ASSOCIATED PRESS / DEC. 10
                                A man, left, cuts trees in the rubble of a mobile home neighborhood in Clarksville, Tenn. Tornados caused catastrophic damage in Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon and evening, Dec. 9.

ASSOCIATED PRESS / DEC. 10

A man, left, cuts trees in the rubble of a mobile home neighborhood in Clarksville, Tenn. Tornados caused catastrophic damage in Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon and evening, Dec. 9.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. >> A 4-month-old boy has survived after a tornado in Tennessee sucked him up from his family’s mobile home, which was demolished in the storm.

Sydney Moore told WSMV-TV that when the tornado hit their home in Clarksville on Saturday, it ripped off the roof and lifted the bassinet with her son inside. Her boyfriend, the child’s father, tried to grab the bassinet but was spun up into the twister as well, Moore said.

“He was just holding on to the bassinet the whole time, and they went into circles, he said, and then they got thrown,” Moore said.

At about the same time in another room, as the wind howled, Moore decided to jump on top of their other son, who is 1. She grabbed the child as the walls collapsed, she said.

Moore and the 1-year-old were crushed under the trailer, but she said she managed to push them out.

They searched for the younger son for 10 minutes, and ultimately found him lying in a fallen tree in the pouring rain.

“I was pretty sure he was dead and we weren’t going to find him,” Moore said. “But he’s here, and that’s by the grace of God.”

All the family members survived with cuts and bruises, but their home and belongings were a total loss. Moore’s sister has started a GoFundMe page to help them recover.

Three people were killed in Clarksville and three in Nashville by the string of powerful tornado-producing storms on Saturday.

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines. Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.