Family Rebuilds 1 Year After Deadly Tornado

Sydney Martin spoke with a man who is rebuilding his home after it was destroyed a year earlier in a tornado that tore through Lee County.

Exactly one year ago waay 31 traveled to lee county alabama after an e-f-4 tornado ripped through the area and killed 23 people.

Tonight- we talked to the man whose pool became a talking point - as it was all that was left behind on his property.

Waay 31's sydney martin reported live from his property one year ago -- and gives us a look at the progress they've made.

Syd, "one year ago in march of 2019 this pool was all that remained after an ef-4 tornado ripped through this yard in beauregard.

And now a year later the family is building a new home right where the former home used to sit in front of the pool."

Eric sward, tornado survivor, "they say was you in that tornado... i say yeah.

Well, where was ya?

I say the pool with no house.

The pool got really famous."

Eric sward told me his pool is something people remember when they think about the beauregard tornado last march 3rd.

It's a day he will never forget.

"i heard it all rip the house apart.

It happened so fast.

As soon as it started tearing the house apart about 30 seconds later we were down there.

The whole house was on top of us."

Sward explained he took shelter with his wife in their bathtub before the tornado reached their home.

Lifted it up and threw them and the home hundreds of feet away into the woods.

Everything was on top of us.

We were buried in that bathtub.

We couldn't move we just had to sit there and wait.

That's a scary feeling when you're just pinned and have to sit there and talk and yell."

Plenty of community members didn't return to the area..and it's something he considered as well.

"at first, i wasn't going to move back out here.

I was like, man i don't want to."

He said now seeing devastation one state away in tennessee...all he wants to do is give back after all the help his family received in their time of need.

"i'd love to just go help them cause i feel like i know some stuff that they might need.

Cause i didn't know what i needed.

I was worried about material stuff out there...this and that."

But said time has made it easier to rebuild.

"it will just take a little time..you'll start..you won't forget.... but it will start being easy..

Just you'll cry.

Go through a lot of stuff, and then you'll start getting over it."

In beauregard sm waay 31 news.