Drivers return for belongings after vehicles took direct hit from tornado in Valley View

Jennifer Otten recounted her harrowing experience driving along I-35 in Cooke County when her phone’s tornado alert sounded. With her 17-year-old daughter, Hannah Otten, in the vehicle, they rushed to find shelter.

“We were coming from Sanger doing a Door Dash (delivery),” Otten recalled. “We hurried as fast as we could to get to the nearest place.”

They, along with over a hundred others, sought refuge at a truck stop convenience store off I-35 and E Lone Oak Drive in Valley View.

Conner Stines, traveling back home to Bedford with his twin sister, also sought shelter at the same truck stop.

“It was raining. It was wet. I didn’t want to cause a wreck, so we pulled over,” Stines explained. “We ended up in the worst spot we could be in.”

Around 10:45 pm on Saturday, a tornado with maximum winds of 135 mph struck, wreaking havoc across a wide swath of land.

“Everybody was scrambling over here trying to get to safety,” Jennifer recounted. “By the time we got in, the power went out.”

As chaos ensued, a man’s voice urged people to seek shelter in the bathrooms.

“We all just ran,” Hannah described.

“As we were running, the windows started exploding around us,” Stines added.

The ferocious winds tore through the area, causing extensive damage. Metal coverings were shredded, gas pumps were flung aside, vehicles were tossed across the parking lot, and parts of the convenience store were blown out.

“They talk about the train whistle,” Stines recalled. “That’s pretty much what it sounded like. You could feel the winds kind of pull us toward it a little bit.”

On Sunday afternoon, Stines returned to the scene to retrieve some belongings. His car had been thrown about 50 yards, but he managed to salvage a water bottle and a baseball cap from the wreckage.

Jennifer’s vehicle was situated near the main entrance of the convenience store.

“My ID, my wallet, my purse is in there,” Jennifer lamented. “My keys are in there. Her medication is in there. Everything that I need to do anything to move forward right now, I can’t get.”

Fortunately, an officer at the scene was able to retrieve her purse from the vehicle before a fence was erected around the property.

Throughout Sunday night, crews worked tirelessly to clear the debris and make way for tow trucks.