Laurel Co. tornado victim moving out of damaged home just weeks after moving in

LAUREL CO., Ky. (WKYT) - Entire neighborhoods are working to clean up the damage left behind by a deadly tornado that ripped through Laurel Co.

One woman, who had only been in her home for two weeks, is having to move out just as quickly as she moved in.

“One minute, you can have a lot going for you and the next minute, you may not have anything, so I guess that’s when your faith has to show up,” said Anita Smallwood, a Laurel Co. resident.

Smallwood said she just moved into her home off of Philpot Rd. two weeks ago. She said she moved from another home in London.

Late Friday evening into early Saturday morning, Smallwood said she hid in the bathroom with her two dogs, bracing for the tornado’s impact.

“I heard this loud -- it was like the popping and cracking and stuff -- you could just feel the pressure, it was like the roof was coming off,” she said.

Part of Smallwood’s roof did come off; a beam now sticks out of the middle of the home.

As the storm hit, Smallwood said she knew she was not alone.

“I was praying for my neighbors because I knew they were getting the same thing,” she said. “I thought, this could be it.”

Luckily, Smallwood is okay. However, the evidence of the damage can be found all around her; from the homes with entire roofs missing and the snapped power lines and poles in the yard.

Smallwood said as the clean-up begins, faith leads the charge.

“You have to believe you can still move on and take care of things,” she said.

Smallwood said she is lucky because with her previous home still on the market, she is able to stay there while the cleanup is underway. Her previous home was not damaged by the tornado.