Tornado provides close call, plenty of help

Family discusses rapid change in storms Thursday from Dorian

Cindy Brodeur was watching TV on Thursday morning when she saw a tornado had come through Figure Eight Island. With her home nearby in Porter’s Neck, she quickly texted her daughter and told her not to come home until they were out of a tornado warning. 

Not long after, the tornado came right through her property.

“I froze,” Brodeur said. “I know all of the things I’m supposed to do, but in that moment you lose your ability to react. If we didn’t have hurricane shutters on our window, it probably would have ruined the house.” 

Brodeur counted herself fortunate in that aspect, but her family did lose a couple of big trees in the front yard and her dock in the back. 

Her husband, Dale, rode out the hurricane from inside his garage, unable to leave before the twister arrived. 

Their road was quickly cleared. A neighbor had to go to the emergency room after suffering a facial injury, but he was doing fine as of Friday morning. 

The cleanup was well underway by that time, too. Neighbors were out in force chopping and carving down fallen trees in the front yard. 

“With help like this, we should feel close to normal soon, but it was a scary afternoon yesterday,” Cindy said.