On April 3, 2012, the lives of many Forney residents was greatly changed. On that day an F-3 tornado tore through the city of 15,000 plus residents. It caused damage in downtown, tore roofs and signs from businesses along Highway 80, nearly destroyed the Forney Food Pantry, and then ripped houses from their foundation in the Diamond Creek subdivision. Unbelievably, despite the destruction, no lives were lost.
It has been a year since the tornado came through town, and most of the devastation it caused has been repaired, though some homes were never rebuilt. Forney Mayor Darren Rozell remembers the day well, as he and the city were thrust into the national spotlight. He was at his home in Forney tracking the tornado heading towards the town. After it came through he received a call saying that half of City Hall in downtown was gone, which turned out to be false. The Mayor headed straight for the Emergency Operations Center at the police station. He said, “On that afternoon, our metroplex was blessed to have no deaths as a result of the tornadoes that came through. For Forney, the real blessing came in the days to follow. It was amazing to see how our entire community rallied together to support their own. The way we responded set a national example.”
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Heather Earl recalls the feeling of helplessness she had as the tornado approached Forney and her family in Diamond Creek while she was out of town. After the tornado passed through Forney, Earl spent an agonizing 45 minutes waiting to hear from her family, not knowing if they had survived. Finally her phone rang, “I heard my mother's shaky voice say 'we've been hit!' I hear my daughter screaming in the background because she thought that her dad, my husband, had died because he wasn't in the house! But after he found that our family was OK he went out to see about neighbors.”
One of the Earl's vehicles was totaled and the house they rented was so badly damaged that they had to evacuate. The family ended up living at the Best Western in Forney for 5 months. They were there with many other tornado victims, homeless. Earl said, “It wasn't easy at first, as every meal was take out and no room for much of our belongings. We realized real quick that this was our reality and we needed to pull together to make the very best of it. It was humbling as once again we were reminded of the basics and necessities of life. We learned not to take even the simplest of things for granted. We bonded and will be forever grateful for the 5 months in four walls.” The family will close on a brand new home in Devonshire later this month.
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Monica King was working in Sachse when the tornado hit her neighborhood in Forney. Her family was at home and their house was hit. King said, “When I arrived home it looked like a war zone. There was debris, police cars, firetrucks, news vans, and just complete chaos everywhere.” She and her family had to move out of their home, and it took 5 months for repairs to be completed. They lived at Best Western for a month and then she and her daughter moved in with her mother for the other 4 months.
King said, “I am still not completely settled back into my house, but I am just happy to be home. 2012 was such an emotional roller coaster...every time it rains, I go into complete panic, look at the clouds, and begin searching weather reports in fear of another tornado.” Still, she thanks God for watching over Diamond Creek and said, “You can always replace material things, but a life can never be replaced. I want to thank the entire Forney community for coming together and taking care of Diamond Creek. I am forever grateful to everyone for their kindness, and I have learned to never take things for granted...tell your loved ones that you love them every day.”