A Tennessee couple and their two children are seeking a new home after a large tornado ripped through their community and swept up their 4-month-old child, who was found alive in a nearby tree following the tragedy.
Sydney Moore, her boyfriend and their children were inside their home last Saturday in Clarksville when the EF-3 tornado, which left six people dead and more than two dozen injured, touched down in Montgomery County.
Moore said the tornado, which destroyed the couple's mobile home and other belongings, picked up her 4-month-old child, who managed to survive the horrific event.
"Something in me just told me to run and jump on top of my son," Moore told Nashville's WSMV News of her efforts to protect her eldest child, a 1-year-old. "The moment I jumped on him, the walls collapsed."
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Recalling what exactly happened that evening, Moore told the outlet that her boyfriend could see the tornado envelop their home before it was ripped to shreds and the baby's bassinet was picked up.
"The roof came off first, the tip of the tornado came down and picked up the bassinet with our baby," she said. "He was the first thing to go up."
Moore said her boyfriend lunged to rescue the baby and ended up getting thrown out of the home along with the infant, who was asleep at the time.
"He was just holding on to the bassinet the whole time, and they went into circles," Moore recalled.
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Despite the circumstances, Moore said she and her family were able to escape from the debris and search for their baby, all while fearing the worst.
After about 10 minutes of searching, Moore said she and her boyfriend found the baby alive in a tree that had fallen in the rain.
"I thought he was dead," she said. "I was pretty sure he was dead and we weren’t going to find him. But he’s here, and that’s by the grace of God."
"I will die for my kids. That’s not even a question, and my boyfriend would do the same thing," Moore added.
Moore and her family were left with little to no personal belongings after the tragic incident, but the community has reportedly rallied to support the young couple and their children by providing them with formula, diapers and other necessities.
Now, nearly a week after the couple faced the tornado head-on, the family is searching for a new home.
A member of Moore's family has also established a GoFundMe to help the family rebuild and buy necessary items for themselves and their children.
Moore's sister, Caitlyn, wrote in the GoFundMe listing that Moore and her children "came out with minor cuts and bruises" after the tornado destroyed their home. Moore's boyfriend, however, according to the GoFundMe listing, "suffered a broken arm/shoulder."
"This disaster has affected more than just this family, so I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to everyone affected," Moore's sister added in the fundraiser's listing.
