How a prefab storm shelter installed a decade ago saved a family’s life during the tornado

It’s rare to come by storm shelters in homes nowadays, but a family in Breman, Kentucky, credits one for saving their lives.

Jordan Evans was out of town with his son Gage when the catastrophic storms and tornadoes tore through western Kentucky last week.

Jordan described the area as a “war zone.”

Gage’s mother and the rest of his family were right in the path of the storm. Their house didn’t have a basement or any way to get underground. Luckily, they had access to one located just next door—a storm shelter that is 10 feet deep and 12 feet wide.

Gage’s stepdad, Justin Pointer, led his eight family members and two dogs into the tiny space before the tornado passed over.

“It started shaking the lid real bad, we had to hold it down,” Justin recalled.

He also mentioned that the space, although tight and uncomfortable, provided the protection they needed after the storm destroyed their house.

Justin said the shelter had been built by his father about a decade ago. His dad couldn’t remember how much he spent to put it in, but both believed they couldn’t put a price on their family’s safety.

They hadn’t used it before, but during the night of December 19, it was able to save them all. Justin couldn’t be more grateful to his dad for thinking forward.

“He said he’d pay a hundred times more for it right now,” Justin said.

You can purchase prefabricated storm shelters from several retailers. Many models cost less than $10,000. 

But no matter what the price, I think we can all agree that this lifesaver is a great investment. Check it out in the video below. 

The tornado hit Kentucky the hardest, leaving the state with dozens of missing people and looking like a ghost town.

In these times of hardship, it’s so easy to feel hopeless. Luckily, one man has brought it upon himself to bring light to the small town of Mayfield.

Jim Finch drove his truck for half an hour to bring a massive grill and ready-to-cook food to feed the tornado victims in the area.

Jim brought grab-and-go types of food such as hamburgers, sausage, eggs, and chicken. He parked right in the middle of the town, and when asked by a journalist about his good deed, he said:

“I know they don’t have no electricity, so that means they don’t have no electric, no restaurants, no running water, so I just figured I’d do what I can do,” he explained. “Show up with some food and some water.”

When asked if he had a restaurant, the Good Samaritan shook his head and said, “it just needed to be done.”

Jim was born in Paducah, Kentucky, but he felt the need to bring relief to the tornado-racked Mayfield to deliver warm food to the people.

According to Mayfield Mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan, the situation in the town is dire.

“Our infrastructure is so damaged. We have no running water. Our water tower was lost. Our wastewater management was lost, and there’s no natural gas to the city. So we have nothing to rely on there. So that is purely survival at this point for so many of our people.”

Despite the circumstances, the victims are grateful to have people like Jim and many others bring hope and help to their ravaged town.

***Did you enjoy our feel-good and positive story? You can help support our site by simply SUBSCRIBING and sharing our stories with your friends and family.