'It Was Terrifying:' Metro Family Recounts Waking Up Inside EF-3 Tornado

Sunday, Nov. 3 the Cross family awoke to a nightmare: a tornado barreling down on them while they slept. Now, one week later, the family reflects on their story of survival as cleanup efforts are just beginning.

“About one in the morning, all we heard was this rumbling sound just for like, it sounded like a freight train,” Valerie Cross said.

Her family’s home was one of many hit by an EF 3 tornado in South Oklahoma City near Sooner Road and Southeast 89th.

They say emergency alerts on their phones woke them up, but the tornado was already on top of them and debris was crashing down around them.

“I was screaming for our son, and I couldn't hear him,” Valerie said.

“It was terrifying. When you holler at your son twice and don't answer. Scary. Just thankful he's alive now,” Mike Cross, Valerie’s husband, said.

He said he ran through the house to find his son seconds after the tornado ripped off the roof.

“When you run through your living room in the middle of the night at 1:20 in the morning, and it's raining on you in the house? It's an eerie feeling. It is a very eerie feeling,” Mike said.

Where the walls of their house once stood, you can see a path of destruction from the second floor.

“It feels like a nightmare,” Mike said.

The family said there's nothing left to do but start to rebuild what they can, alongside many neighbors who also lost everything.

“There's only so much insurance. Can always help take care of, you know, but memories… They were all in this house with our children,” Valerie said tearfully.

Though precious keepsakes may be lost, the Cross family is grateful for the chance to make new memories.

“I'm thankful that I have my family. I'm thankful that my son survived,” Valerie said.

Family friends made a GoFundMe to help support the Cross family as they rebuild. To donate, CLICK HERE.

Additionally, a donation center has been set up to support those affected by the EF-3 tornado.

You can drop off donations at the Windwood Free Will Baptist Church, located at 5300 SE 89th St. in Oklahoma City. They are taking clothing, cleanup supplies, and baby items, especially child car seats.