Yuma, Colorado tornado rated EF3 according to Goodland National Weather Service
10 August 2023
YUMA COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Three children who scrambled to safety while their parents were away said it sounded like a bomb exploded as a twister ravaged their Colorado home Tuesday.
Their parents were at a nearby hospital when they saw a storm chaser’s live video of the tornado heading for their home. They ran out of the hospital, where they were visiting a relative, and headed for their children hiding in the basement.
“We were watching that live feed. And I was watching him drive, because we know the roads out here real well, and I was like, dude, that’s coming by our house. I called my kids, ‘Go get your helmets!'” Clint Monk said.
“We got a phone call from my daughter, and we heard the house just cracking and creaking. So my husband and I busted out of the hospital as fast as we could,” Amanda Monk said.
A tornado in Yuma County, Colorado, on Aug. 8, 2023 (Credit: twitch.tv/stormchaserirl)
Tornado ‘was like a bomb exploding’
Kennadee Monk, 16, and her two younger brothers headed for the basement and hid, holding on and praying for dear life.
“Once it took the roof off, I could just hear the hail and the rain hitting the floor. It was insane, and water started falling on us as we were in the stairwell. It was like a bomb exploding is the best way I could describe it,” Kennadee said.
At one point, it seemed like the storm wouldn’t stop.
The teen, all the while, made sure her brothers, ages 11 and 12, were OK.
“I was holding their hand, and we were praying with our dog. He was on our laps. We were just praying, waiting it out,” Kennadee said.
The tornado tore walls off the home and destroyed a garage and a barn. A Christian fellowship center the family was building was torn apart.
Clint said he didn’t care.
“I don’t want to start crying, but I saw my kids. You know, this stuff can be replaced. It could have been way worse. We lost about everything we owned,” he said.
The Monk family is just grateful the children are OK. For now, the cleanup continues with the help of people from this community.