Arkansas woman captures moment Little Rock tornado 'almost took my life'
Alabama woman Kimberly Shaw recorded video of a tornado striking her location March 31. (Credit: Kimberly Shaw via ViralHog)
A tense video has emerged showing the moment an Arkansas woman says "almost took my life" as a destructive tornado wreaked havoc in the Little Rock area.
Kimberly Shaw captured the footage on March 31 when an EF-3 tornado with maximum peak winds of 165 mph ripped through Arkansas’ capital, killing one and injuring dozens.
"It was a direct hit to where we were. It sucked me out the door," Shaw said. "Thank God for my husband who grabbed me and tried pulling me back in. We are both injured but OK."
"Stop recording tornadoes and get in a shelter instead. I have learned this the hard way," Shaw added, noting that recording the video "almost took my life."
TORNADOES, HAIL KILL AT LEAST 26 AS CRUSHING STORMS ASSAULT MIDWEST
Kimberly Shaw recorded a video on March 31 showing a tornado striking her location in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Kimberly Shaw via ViralHog)
The video begins with Shaw looking through the glass doors of a dental office, with ominous clouds swirling in the background.
"They are saying it on the radio it’s a tornado," a voice says.
Shaw then urges her husband to come inside the business after he was standing outside in the parking lot.
"Oh my God," a voice says as the winds pick up and debris can be seen flying through the air.
Two arms then try to hold the door to the business shut as the winds rapidly intensify.
The camera then gets tossed around as Shaw appears to be pulled outside into the raging tornado, before her husband is seen bringing her to safety.
MISSOURI TORNADO KILLS 5 AS ANOTHER ROUND OF DAMAGING STORMS HITS MIDWEST, SOUTH
The video shows Shaw's husband trying to hold the door to the dental office closed before Shaw is sucked outside into the tornado. (Kimberly Shaw via ViralHog)
"The windows behind us blew out, and when it did, it sucked me out," she told the news station KAIT. "I went into the air, but my husband was holding on to me."
The National Weather Service says the tornado "tracked roughly 32 miles from west Little Rock through North Little Rock, Sherwood and Jacksonville (all in Pulaski County) before finally weakening on the southeast side of Cabot (Lonoke County)."
It damaged more than 2,700 structures and left 50 people injured, the NWS said.
"As the storm closed in on the Little Rock (Pulaski County) area, a Tornado Warning was issued at 2:03 p.m. CDT. It went downhill from there," the NWS added. "A tornado quickly spun up at 2:20 p.m. CDT and began causing destruction about three miles west of the intersection of Interstates 430 and 630. When it was clear the situation was becoming catastrophic/life threatening, a Tornado Emergency was posted at 2:28 pm CDT."
Homes damaged by a tornado are seen on March 31, 2023, in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Benjamin Krain/Getty Images)
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In the wake of the disaster, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and President Biden spoke by phone, during which Biden "expressed his support for the people of Arkansas and emphasized that the federal government stands ready to assist," according to a statement from Sanders’ office.
"Gov. Sanders thanked the President for the close coordination of his team and for the administration’s commitment to aiding response and recovery efforts across central Arkansas and in Wynne," the statement added. "The governor told the president that Arkansans are resilient people and would rebuild stronger than before."
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