VALLEY VIEW, Texas — Surrounded by mountains of debris, Todd and Lisa Smith began the cleanup process at their family farm in Valley View after an EF-3 tornado ripped through it.
“I just don’t know what the future holds,” Todd said.
What used to be barns, a greenhouse, and other structures on Smith Farms was destroyed Saturday night. Around 200 other homes and structures across Valley View were destroyed by the tornado.
“Everything started hitting the house, just pounding,” Todd said. “It just shook the house, shook the tub, shook the bathroom.”
The Smiths huddled together in their bathtub with their dog and prayed.
“I just kept saying it over and over ‘Please Jesus, save us,’” Lisa said.
They survived, but the family home and the farm they’ve built over the last 20 years didn’t. Several animals on their farm died, including a dog, a horse, and several pigs.
“I looked out here and saw that all that was gone and walked to the back and saw that was gone, and it hurt,” Todd said.
The tornado ripped their livelihood away in less than 20 minutes.
On Monday, the Smiths and several of their friends and neighbors cleared away scraps of metal and debris.
“There’s so much to do,” Lisa said as her eyes welled up with tears. “The thought of having to rebuild it all again… I don’t know if we’ve got the energy to do it.”
The Smiths haven’t been able to decide whether they’ll rebuild, stay in the area, or quit their passion for farming and start anew elsewhere. Money is the biggest concern. They have immediate needs, such as water and feed for their animals that survived.
A GoFundMe has been launched to support the Smith family.
The Smiths told WFAA they’re overwhelmed by their community’s outpouring of support, and the love is what’s bringing them hope after what they lost.
“We’ve got each other, and there’s families right over there that don’t have that,” Todd said. “We have a second chance at life. I hurt for those people that have toddlers missing. It rips my heart out.”
The Smiths vow to overcome what they lost through their faith and each other.
“Even if our life changes, we’ll get through it,” Todd said.