Year of the tornado

Scouts prepared for tornado
Weather along the Nebraska/Iowa border was bad. Really bad. It was dinnertime, Wednesday, June 11. At their home near Omaha, Charlene and Taylor Willoughby were watching the sky and TV.

Charlene Willoughby: A newscaster broke into the weather and said "This just in. We just had reports of tornados that have destroyed the Boy Scout camp at Little Sioux." And they used the word "destroyed."

Their son, also named Taylor, was a scout at that very camp, less than an hour away just over the border in western Iowa. He was there with 11 adult leaders and 117 other boys.

So on a very stormy evening, the Willoughbys set out on the 45-mile drive to the scout camp, desperate to see their 13-year-old son.

Charlene Willoughby: That ride was one of the most difficult things we've ever been through. We had the radio turned to our local channel -- NBC news station -- and they kept breaking in with reports from Little Sioux. And they used the word "fatalities." (sniffs)

After an emotionally draining drive, the Willoughbys finally reached the camp. But only emergency crews were being allowed in. They were directed to a nearby hall -- along with other parents -- and were anxiously awaiting word about their son when they got a call from an emergency worker.

Charlene Willoughby: He said, "We have your son, he's okay." And that's when that relief just kinda - just washed through me.

They got in their car again -- but this time for a drive to the hospital for their reunion.

Charlene Willoughby: And his hair is just all standing up on end and he was covered in dirt and mud.

Taylor Willoughby Jr.: I was afraid for my life and I was thinking about my parents, that I'd never get to see them again. I was so happy to still be alive.

Taylor had survived the tornado with only minor injuries.

But he had experienced an extremely strong tornado, an EF-3 with winds of 145 miles an hour -- as you can see in this video shot by storm chasers who actually ended up a little too close.

Scout leaders knew bad weather was headed their way, so they kept the scouts indoors that evening. And then the tornado was sighted.

Taylor Willoughby Jr.: As soon as I heard the word "tornado," we were all screaming and we ran. We basically ducked down underneath the tables that were bolted to the ground as fast as we could. You could hear it outside. Sounded like there was like a jet that flew by really close over your head and it was just very loud and very screechy.

Within seconds, that building was no longer standing. Seeking shelter there were 59 people, including a handful of adults -- about half the group attending camp that week. One of the boys was blown on top of Taylor.

Taylor Willoughby Jr.: And then a table was thrown on top of both of us. And it flew by after it hit us and we just kind of huddled underneath his hoodie and we were just holding onto each other until the tornado passed. All the tables that were bolted down were gone and ripped out from the floor. And it was just really bad.

In those 30 seconds or so, four boys died, killed when a truck parked outside was propelled into the tall stone chimney and its rocks crashed down on them. Forty other scouts were injured, including 11 who were hospitalized. Taylor and a few other scouts ran for help, while others stayed and helped those who were hurt.

Taylor Willoughby Jr.: They performed a little bit of triage and they also applied some tourniquets to some horribly bleeding bad wounds. They were basically applying all the first aid skills that we had learned. Some of them were trying to perform CPR on some of the boys that died, but they were trying to revive them and bring them back.

Fred and Laurie Hanna, parents of another scout at that camp, received a call about the tornado while at their home just outside Omaha. They were told the camp was "wiped out" and immediately raced up there. They too were listening to the car radio for the latest news when word came of the four fatalities.

Laurie Hanna: And I can't even describe to you what that feels like, the feeling of almost playing roulette. Like what are the odds, that one of them was my son?

Then she received a call saying that their son Kevin was in an ambulance.

Laurie Hanna: And I just kept yelling, I said, "Is he OK? Is he OK?" And we see an ambulance coming south on the other side. And I said, "That's got to be him. That's got to be him." And at that very moment there --

Fred Hanna: There --

Laurie Hanna: -- was a u-turn spot in the median.

Fred Hanna: And I took it.

Laurie Hanna: And he took it. Zoom. Turned around.

The Hannas followed the ambulance to the hospital.

Laurie Hanna: We pulled in and all I wanted was to see Kevin. And they said, "Come with us." And I said, "Can I just see him?" And they just said, "Come with us." And I thought, "Oh my gosh, there's something else here they're not telling me."

Their son Kevin was seriously injured with a fractured pelvis, in addition to cuts and bruises. His parents were told he had to be transferred to a trauma hospital. As Kevin was taken out to an ambulance, they witnessed a heartwarming scene.

Fred Hanna: Then we saw they brought more boys in and they just had them in their stretchers on the side of the hallway. And the boys started calling out each other's names. "There's Kevin. There's Cory." "This is Alex." "I'm Jacob."

Laurie Hanna: It's like there were roll-calling each other, is what it looked like to me.

Fred Hanna: Just still checking.

Laurie Hanna: Just keeping track of each other still, even at that point.

At the Omaha hospital, the Hannas were finally able to really speak with their son.

Kevin Hanna: I was really happy that I was able to see them again because when the tornado was hitting, I thought that we were all going to die.

And for the first time, Kevin's parents heard what happened to him when the tornado obliterated the building he was in.

Kevin Hanna: I think I passed out for maybe 30 seconds to a minute and when I woke up, I was like, "Whoa, what happened?" And I tried to stand up and I fell flat on my face...

He was in a lot of pain then, but he was able to take in what was happening around him.

Kevin Hanna: I saw a lot of boys. They were yelling, "Help me, help me." And stuff like that. Some of them were praying. Others were crying. I saw one of the boys who was dying. He was covered in rocks. And I looked around at what used to be the campsite and all of the tents and everything was gone. The trees were destroyed on the ground. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

Fred Hanna: He said, "Dad, I saw somebody die." And we have to live with that. We struggle to find the answer of why this happened and why those four boys were selected and our son was not. Our faith says that we're all going to die some day and this was just no - not time for Kevin.

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