Two best friends are vowing to rebuild their home after a massive tornado ripped through their town, destroying their house where they’ve lived for more than 50 years.
Vivian Clinton, 95, and Betty McConaughey, 90, bought a home together in 1964 near Dodge City, Kansas.
An EF3 tornado destroyed 51 years of memories for the women Tuesday night. "It was noisy," Vivian told KWCH. "The wind was there, and we had hail, little marble-size, but once in a while, there'd be golf-ball size."
The women said they could see the massive twister from their living room window. They saw the tail of the storm ascend back into the sky. For a moment, they thought they were safe.
But then the storm changed course – and headed right for their house
Vivian’s physical condition kept her from getting to the basement in time. The next thing she knew, her house was coming down around her.
The front wall of their home pinned Vivian underneath.
"It knocked me on the floor, and the lazy boy was on top of me, and I couldn't move," Vivian said.
Betty decided to stay with Clinton instead of trying to get to the basement.
Once the storm passed, Betty ran to get help and found two storm chasers passing by who called for help.
The women were both taken to the hospital with minor bruises and cuts. They are recovering at a family member's house.
Betty and Vivian’s home will need to be torn down, but they already said they plan to rebuild. After 71 years of friendship, the women say they don't care about their things as much as they care about having each other.
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