Nash County family who survived two tornadoes prepares for severe weather: 'Really traumatizing'
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WTVD) -- For Carolyn Slade, it's hard to believe that almost three years ago, she was racing to get 67 children to safety inside Saint Stephen's Loving Daycare in Rocky Mount as the July 2023 tornado went right past them.
"The storm hit us head-on, we prayed it lifted up and then went through the playground, so what goes through my mind is what could have been," Slade said.
After tearing past their daycare, narrowly missing their classrooms, the path of destruction would go on through their playground to hit the Pfizer plants and several nearby towns.
Now the fence is back up, the playground rebuilt, but some wounds are still there.
"Experiencing it was really traumatizing for us and the children," she said.
As scary as it was, Carolyn hoped it would simply be a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
WATCH: Rocky Mount residents well aware of damage severe weather can bring
That is, until just about a year later, her son, Demetrius, was getting food just down the road from her daycare at a Chinese restaurant on Highway 301.
Another tornado. Demetrius could feel the wheels of his car lifting in the parking lot. Just a few feet difference, and he might not be here.
"I'm literally looking at these cars, seeing the wind pick the cars up and throwing them into the restaurant," he said.
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It's why they were concerned about seeing yet another tornado warning for Nash County. Out of an abundance of caution, they decided to close the daycare for the day.
But they say it's always important to stay prepared.
"You just keep maneuvering. You got to keep going. You just take shelter, shelter in place. You do what you got to do and pray that there's a shield over you that you won't be destroyed," Slade said.
As for why Nash County seems to have become a hot spot for tornadoes, there are a few factors at play. Nash County has seen rapid population growth in the last 40 years, so some tornadoes in the past may have been in more remote areas away from population. Another factor is geography. Storms that begin to the south of the county tend to pick up steam and strengthen through long stretches of flatlands and end up in areas of eastern North Carolina, such as Nash County.
