Woman Says 'Hand from Above' Kept Her & Husband Alive in Tornado While They Clung to Mattress
An East Nashville couple survived the March 3 tornado that tore off a section of their house by clinging to a mattress and one another, thanking God for sparing their lives.
Winston and Faye Morelock have lived in their East Nashville home for 42 years. After a tornado tore apart their neighborhood last week, the elderly couple is now homeless.
Faye, 78, and Winston, 73, were asleep in bed when the sirens began alerting residents to the tornado danger.
Woman’s Angel Figurines ‘Didn’t Even Move’ in Tenn. Tornado: ‘A Hand from Above Kept Us Alive’ https://t.co/jgaWgXAYvz
— People (@people) March 11, 2020
Winston recalled the frightening event, saying he heard the sound of flying debris smacking the side of his house.
“About that time, this wall came in,” he said, referring to the wall the bed was up against. “It came in on us.”
In the midst of the storm, Winston clung to his wife, desperately trying to keep her safe and shield her from broken glass and flying debris.
“I was holding her, and went over her, and grabbed the mattress we were holding on to, and I said, ‘Honey, hold on, hold on!’ And all I could do was grab that mattress with my fingers and hold her,” he said.
Helping my buddy move out of his apartment today in East Nashville. Here’s the view from his apartment. Crazy! #NashvilleStrong pic.twitter.com/XjPiyPgFXo
— Rich O’Toole (@RichOToole) March 12, 2020
As the twister approached, Winston described the force of the wind as a “vacuum trying to pull us out of the house.”
“You’re trembling to death, and you don’t know if you’re gonna be alive or if you’re gonna be dead,” Faye said.
The couple is thankful for their tight grip on the mattress during a very intense 30 to 40 seconds which changed their lives forever.
When the storm subsided, the couple found themselves still on the mattress, but sticking out of a gaping hold through the house.
“[The tornado] just crushed everything in the living room,” Winston said.
Faye told People that though her home was destroyed, she knows God was watching over her and her spouse.
“It’s amazing. Only thing I can say is, it’s a hand from above that kept us alive,” she said. “I’m lost for words.”
Faye pointed out that her collection of small angel figurines and the dresser they were on were not damaged by the storm even though the rest of the house was destroyed, symbolic to her of God’s hand in the situation.
“I can’t stop thanking God because if he didn’t have his hand on us — we would’ve been out of here.”
Though they lost their beloved home, the couple is taking the emotional loss in stride, keeping a broader perspective.
“I know there are others that are worse than us, but I thank God there were no more killed,” Winston said. “And thank him for his hand on us.”
A neighbor started a GoFundMe campaign for the couple to help them recover by providing temporary housing and a vehicle to get them through the next few months.
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