Farm in Valley View destroyed by tornado, community helping clean up

Lisa and Todd Smith operate Smith Farms, located at 690 County Road 241 in southeast Valley View, where they both live and work.

“I’ve owned this property since 2006,” Todd said, reflecting on nearly two decades of hard work on their land.

However, in less than 20 minutes, an EF-2 tornado destroyed almost two decades of their hard work.

“I really can’t stop and think about it too much ’cause I gotta keep going,” Todd expressed. “So, I think a little bit of shock is still there.”

During the tornado, Todd, Lisa, and their dog Bailey sought refuge in their bathroom.

“Our ears started to pop (from) the pressure,” Lisa recalled. “The water in the sink and toilet was gurgling. That’s when we knew we were getting hit. The whole house was shaking. We could hear that the whole roof had gone.”

Lisa fervently prayed during the ordeal, repeatedly asking for divine intervention.

“My repeated words were, ‘Jesus please save us,’ over and over and over. ‘Jesus please save us,'” Lisa said.

While they survived, they lost their dog Reggie, Todd’s horse Colonel, and numerous livestock.

“The hardest part for me is the farm and my animals,” Lisa lamented. “The animals are everything to me. That’s the hardest part, just knowing where we go from here.”

Despite the devastation, their community rallied around them, helping to clear debris and salvage what they could.

“We have a fantastic community around us,” Lisa acknowledged gratefully. “They’ve busted their butts to help us clean up, and it’s hot out there, too. They’ve been bringing food, water, and I had one customer show up with clothes.”

While the volunteers worked tirelessly despite high temperatures, the looming threat of storms remained a concern.

“We might not be able to stick around because there’s still so much loose tin. If the winds pick up, it might not be safe,” Lisa explained.

The Smiths’ immediate needs include feed for their livestock and storage space for their large machinery.

“Right now, we probably have a couple of days (of feed) to keep it going. We grow and harvest our own grains and hay to feed the animals. That’s all gone,” Lisa described. “We’re going to need a whole year’s supply to keep our animals going. If we don’t have that, we’ll probably have to find somewhere else for them to go.”

As for the future of Smith’s Farms, the couple admits it’s uncertain.

“I mean, we’re going to have to completely rebuild everything from the ground up,” Lisa acknowledged. “I know that we’ve been much more fortunate than others,” she added. “Some others are less fortunate, and our prayers are with them.”

While feed for their livestock remains their primary need, a friend of the Smiths initiated a GoFundMe campaign to offer additional support.

“I just want to thank the community. They’ve been so great,” Lisa expressed. “We’re just overwhelmed, in every sense of the word.”