CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – Brittany Alderman says she and her family were in their RV when an EF-2 tornado touched down in Camden County, completely ripping their home apart.
Alderman, who is 30 weeks pregnant, her 5-year-old daughter and her husband all took cover Wednesday when they learned the tornado was heading toward their RV park near Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.
“I bear hugged my daughter into my chest, and he (Alderman’s husband) tried to grab us with one arm, and the next thing I remember is we were flying through the air,” Alderman said.
She said it’s an event she’s been reliving in her head ever since it happened.
“My husband said when he stood up and saw us flying he thought this was it. We’re all dead,” Alderman said.
Once they hit the ground, neighbors rushed to help.
“A gentleman that lived near our RV park, another service member, he grabbed my daughter, he said, ‘I’m taking her to safety,’” Alderman explained. “All I remember is just mass chaos, but kindness at the same time.”
Alderman was rushed to a nearby hospital.
After the storm, she said, a neighbor found their dog, Rexy. She thought their dog, Beau, might never be found, until on Thursday night when her husband found him in the rubble.
“My husband was calling to him and eventually my dog realized who he was,” she said. “We have since found out that it is our dog that was picked up by the tornado and thrown into the water.”
Alderman says she’s grateful everyone that in the family is OK and thankful for the first responders and members of the community who came to her aid. She said the family will pick up the pieces and rebuild.
“Though we’ve lost everything we have, we have everything,” she said.
Alderman said she and her family are in temporary housing. A GoFundMe has been created to help raise funds.