Who are the victims of the Kentucky tornadoes devastating the midwest? Fifteen minutes later, Sandra Hooker said, a tornado splintered the home, carrying the family members dozens of yards through the air into a field where first responders found them in mud. The middle child, Avalinn, or Ava, had broken vertebrae in her back and was expected to undergo surgery Wednesday, Hooker said. ", "There's very little left," she explains. So God gave us a miracle with Anni. ", "But Ava had been asking about her mother, 'Is mommy alive?'" Annistyn Rackley, 9, poses for a picture while attending a cheerleading competition in Arizona. Another Tornado Warning has been issued for northern Jasper and southeast Porter counties in Indiana. When all is said and done, forecast models show rain totals are likely to clock in over an inch, with 1.18 inches predicted at O'Hare International Airport. The other family members were injured but survived. Family and friends set up a donation drive to assist the Rackleys with medical expenses and funds to help them find a new home. Her nine-year-old daughter, Annistyn, was killed by the tornado. But she said Annistyn still was full of energy and delighted in donning outfits and makeup for cheer competitions and learning new dances from TikTok. Trey and his youngest daughter survived, but the impact left his wife Meghan in a coma in a Missouri hospital, his 7-year-old daughter in a Memphis hospital, and claimed the life of his oldest daughter, Annistyn. See Heartbreaking Photos of the Tornado Devastation in Kentucky, Illinois and More States, Remembering Victims of Deadly Tornado Outbreak: Navy Veteran, 'Loving' Grandma of 4 and More, Texas School Shooting: What We Know About the Victims, Jason Crabb Invites Kentucky Tornado Victim and Viral Piano Player Jordan Baize to Play the Opry, Mo. "They told her, yes, her mommy's alive. Hooker said after a prayer vigil Sunday, searchers in the field near the Rackleys house found the doll that Annistyn was holding in the photo. She said she talked to the girls mother, Meghan Rackley, on Friday afternoon about the possibility of bad storms. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A young girl, pictured in a photo taken during Saturday's severe weather in Missouri, died during the storm, a family member confirmed. she says. Several hours later, the Tornado watches and warnings were issued. She said she talked to the girls mother, Meghan Rackley, on Friday afternoon about the possibility of bad storms. (Summer Alexander/Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP). can you take me to see Anni? But whatever happens we know that God's will will be done," Hooker added. Annistyn, a third-grader who loved swimming, dancing and cheerleading, died, one of dozens killed in five states. All rights reserved (About Us). Trey and Meghan Rackley and their three daughters sought shelter in a windowless bathroom in their southeast Missouri home as storms raged across the middle of the country. Tornadoes also roared through both the Missouri and Illinois sides of the St. Louis area, as well as the Memphis, Tennessee, area and parts of Arkansas and Illinois. From left, Annistyn Rackley with sisters Avalinn and Lani. Their house is splintered, she told The Associated Press during a telephone interview. When Annistyn Rackley was born with a rare liver disease that required major surgery at just 2 months old, small-town Caruthersville, Missouri hard against the Mississippi River in the rural southeast corner of the state poured out its heart to raise funds for the family's medical expenses. An extended Missouri family is grieving, after a tornado ripped through their home this weekend, claiming a young life and changed the lives of the survivors forever. West of St. Louis, 84-year-old Ollie Borgmann, described as a sweet and "typical grandmother," died at a hospital after a tornado on Friday blew the Defiance, Missouri, home she shared with her 84-year-old husband, Vernon, off its foundation. A heartbreaking photo shows a young girl sheltering in a bathtub with her sisters moments before she was killed by a tornado as devastating storms ripped across Hooker said that Annistyn Rackleys family hadnt yet unpacked from their move Dec. 4 from Caruthersville to their new home along Highway J, just west of the city. He wanted to turn over Annistyn's favorite blanket, thick as it was with mud stains after being found in the field. "In spite of everything, she was just always so brave, just you would never know, she was always smiling. Annistyn, a third-grader who loved swimming, dancing and cheerleading, was among dozens of people who died because of the severe storm on Friday. Eighty percent of the children with this disease have to have a liver transplant by the time they are 18. She said she talked to the girls mother, Meghan Rackley, on Friday afternoon about the possibility of bad storms. They had splinters in their skin. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Ms Hooker called Annistyn a special angel, recalling the girl as outgoing and energetic despite a rare liver condition that required regular doctors visits. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Here's why. Hooker said that Annistyn Rackley's family hadn't yet unpacked from their move Dec. 4 from Caruthersville to their new home along Highway J, just west of the city. A heartbreaking photo shows a young girl sheltering in a bathtub with her sisters moments before she was killed by a tornado as devastating storms ripped across the central US last weekend. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. He and the youngest daughter, 3-year-old Alanna, are no longer in the hospital. Copyright 2022 KAIT. A candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, and an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois, were hit. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. She loved dancing.. "The child psychologist came into the room and helped her grandmother tell her. The middle child, Avalinn, or Ava, had broken vertebrae in her back and was expected to undergo surgery Wednesday, Ms Hooker said. She did cartwheels and splits in front of Hooker. And that would be the safest place. Here's why. Copyright 2023 ec Estudio Integral. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, That tornado just spit me out and threw me in the ground, in the mud.'". More shocking was a trailer which had been parked MISSOURI GIRL, PICTURED 15 MINUTES BEFORE TORNADO HIT, FOUND DEAD IN FIELD DOZENS OF YARDS AWAY, In this photo provided by Sandra Hooker, from left, Avalinn Rackley, 7, Alanna Rackley, 3, and Annistyn Rackley, 9, pose for a picture in a bathroom in their home near Caruthersville, Missouri. Hooker said that Annistyn Rackleys family hadnt yet unpacked from their move Dec. 4 from Caruthersville to their new home along Highway J, just west of the city. Fifteen minutes later, Sandra Hooker said, a tornado splintered the home, carrying the family members dozens of yards through the air into a field where first responders found them in mud. "I prayed to Jesus for him to take care of me and that tornado spit me out into the mud," a 7-year-old reportedly told doctors. Meghan, 32, her husband Trey, 37, and their three girls Annistyn and younger siblings Avalinn, 7, and Lani, 3 had moved to their new home outside of Caruthersville just one week before the tornado leveled it. They brought Baby MawMaw to me, and Im cleaning her up so that Ava can have Baby MawMaw, she said. Hooker said Meghan Rackleys injuries included broken bones, a brain injury and a large cut, and shes asking people to pray for the 32-year-old mother. Hooker called Annistyn Rackley a "special angel," recalling the girl as outgoing and energetic despite a rare liver condition that required regular doctors visits. The roof is gone from Don Rackley's home, and on Tuesday evening, rain was falling directly into his house. EYEWITNESS TO DEADLY KENTUCKY TORNADO DISCUSSES STATE OF COMMUNITY: WE LOST OUR HISTORY. "Their house is splintered," she told The Associated Press during a telephone interview. And she sent me a Snapchat picture of the girls in the bathtub. Annistyn Rackley, 9, poses for a picture while attending a cheerleading competition in Arizona. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Tuesday morning, ABC24 Memphis spoke with the children's father, Trey Rackley. And her grandmother assured her that she was not gonna die," continues Hooker. Sandra Hooker shared a picture of the family's three young girls taken just minutes before the storm hit Caruthersville, located along the Mississippi River near the Tennessee border. According to initial reports from the NWS Storm Prediction Center, a possible tornado was reported on the ground in Champaign. Her great aunt said that the diagnosis never held her back, and she was encouraged by her sisters and her parents to live life to the fullest. Ms Hooker is the sister of Meghan Rackleys grandmother, and she said she and Annistyn, or Anni, grew close over the past four years. "About 7:23, I texted Meghan and I told her, 'The storms are about 15 minutes away. The rain will subside in the evening, when the focus will shift to the wind, the NBC 5 Storm Team says, with strong gusts expected across most of the region. The family's home was hit by a massive tornado on Friday night. "There's debris strewn forever out in the field, and so they were sucked up into the tornado.". Her mom and her dad encouraged her and supported her to live life to the full.". In Pemiscot County in southeastern Missouri, bordering Arkansas and Kentucky, where the Rackleys live, the sheriffs office did not immediately return telephone messages Monday seeking comment about the storm that destroyed the Rackleys home. Hookers account of what happened to the Rackleys came from talking to law enforcement and first responders who were at the scene after the tornado and found family members in the field. The bubbly young girl then grew up to become a dancer, a gymnast and compete in team cheerleading. "She was just that giving, caring young girl and all of that has been robbed from her," Sandra Hooker, Annisytn's great aunt, told ABC24 Memphis Tuesday afternoon. 1:41. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "I don't know if I was flying but to me if felt more like I was getting dragged," Rackley said. But a devastating tornado that struck the area in 2006 had made the parents storm-aware, and even before the move, the family had designated safe spaces in their homes in case another storm approached. "When she got to the hospital and the doctors and the nurses asked her, do you know what happened to you? To prove they were in their "safe space" with the storm approaching Friday evening, the girls mom texted her Aunt Sandy a photo of the three in and next to the bathtub all of them smiling, 9-year-old Annistyn holding her favorite doll. or redistributed. "We've talked about it several times," Hooker says. Annistyn, a third-grader who loved swimming, dancing and cheerleading, was among dozens of people who died because of the severe storm on Friday. ", "He found Ava, and the 7-year-old is precocious and has, in my opinion, a near photographic memory," Hooker adds. Just before 10 a.m., a Tornado warning was issued for central DuPage County, "with a thunderstorm capable of producing a brief spin-up tornado over Warrenville and Naperville.". RELATED: Florida father & son killed on hunting trip during storms in Tennessee. We celebrate our miracle, Meghan doing so well, when originally we didnt even know if she would ever wake up, Meghans mother, Pamela Proctor Moore, told KAIT8s Chris Carter. To prove they were in their safe space with the storm approaching Friday evening, the girls mom texted her Aunt Sandy a photo of the three in and next to the bathtub all of them smiling, with 9-year-old Annistyn holding her favorite doll. On the right, the Rackley family poses for a picture while on a trip to Sedona, Arizona. In this Dec. 10, 2021, photo provided by Sandra Hooker, from left, Avalinn Rackley, 7, Alanna Rackley, 3, and Annistyn Rackley, 9, pose for a picture in a bathroom in their home near Caruthersville, Missouri. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Rackleys middle daughter, Ava, was seriously injured in the storm and had to undergo several spinal surgeries. All rights reserved. But their nine-year-old daughter, Annistyn, did not survive. The familys home was destroyed as they were carried into the air by the twister, landing in a field where Early Monday, the NWS reported the severe weather threat most likely to be at its greatest Monday between 7 a.m. and noon, along and south of Interstate 80, potentially extending into Chicago. Hooker called Annistyn Rackley a special angel, recalling the girl as outgoing and energetic despite a rare liver condition that required regular doctors visits. Legal Statement. To prove they were in their safe space with the storm approaching, the girls mom texted her Aunt Sandy a photo of the three in and next to the bathtub all of them smiling, 9-year-old Annistyn holding her favourite doll. And she didn't act like she was disabled or handicapped in any way. She loved dancing.. All rights reserved, WATCH: Procession Escorts Body of Fallen Chicago Officer From Hospital, Storm System Could Bring Rain, Snow, and Gusty Winds to Chicago Area Friday, Chicago Police Officer Shot and Killed on Southwest Side, Chicago Police Release Details of What Led to Officer's Fatal Shooting in Gage Park. (Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP). But their nine-year-old daughter, Annistyn, did not survive. But she said Annistyn still was full of energy and delighted in donning outfits and makeup for cheer competitions and learning new dances from TikTok. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. She did cartwheels and splits in front of Hooker. ", "And then as she recovered, she said, 'Am I gonna die?' Hooker said that Annistyn Rackleys family hadnt yet unpacked from their move Dec. 4 from Caruthersville to their new home along Highway J, just west of the city. "Meghan is fighting for her life," says Meghan's aunt, Sandra Hooker, 62, who is also a teacher. Just before 10 a.m., a Tornado warning was issued for central DuPage County, "with a thunderstorm capable of producing a brief spin-up tornado over Warrenville and December 13, 2021, 9:16 PM. (Summer Alexander/Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP), BIDEN TO TRAVEL TO KENTUCKY TO SURVEY DAMAGE FROM EXTREME WEATHER. Gov. MEMPHIS, Tenn. A Missouri family took a direct hit from the tornado on Dec. 10. Annistyn also attended the same elementary school where her mom and Hooker teach. Example video title will go here for this video. She said she bonded with Annistyn during doctors visits and blood draws and said the girl liked to draw with chalk on the cement of her carport. Our hearts are shattered over the loss of Annistyn, Proctor Moore said. Annistyn Rackley, 9, poses for a picture while attending a cheerleading competition in Arizona. They brought Baby MawMaw to me, and Im cleaning her up so that Ava can have Baby MawMaw, she said. One confirmed death in Missouri was a nine-year-old girl, Annistyn Rackley Her two sisters and parents survived when their house was destroyed by a tornado At least 88 people have died across five states as tornadoes ripped through multiple United States communities in the South and Midwest. She told 'em yes. 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