Miraculous Escape: 4-Month-Old Rescued From Tornado's Fury Perched on a Fallen Tree
Against all odds, a miraculous story unfolded as a relentless tornado tore through Clarksville, Tennessee Sydney Moore's mobile home was destroyed, and her 4-month-old son Lord was swept away A testament to the power of hope and perseverance in the face of unimaginable devastation
One week ago, the tornado siren went off as Sydney Moore's mobile home in Clarksville, Tennessee, was being destroyed, and her 4-month-old son was carried away by the tornado. Moore, 22, recalled the lack of warning as she quickly protected her 1-year-old son, Princeton, with her own body.
Aerial view of damaged homes a day after a tornado hit Madison, Tennessee, U.S. December 10, 2023.
Kevin Wurm/Reuters
Deadly tornadoes leave thousands displaced or without power in Tennessee
Aramis Youngblood, 39, rushed to protect Lord from the powerful tornadoes and storms that swept through the state Saturday evening, grabbing the bassinet as the walls of Moores mobile home came down. As the winds shredded and the rain pounded, Youngblood was lifted off the ground and hurtled through the air, Moore recalled.
Moore emerged from the collapsed mobile home, holding her 1-year-old son. "My kids never cry, they're such good babies," she said. "I was trying to get us out. He wasn't even crying."
With his shoulder dislocated, Youngblood spent a painful 10 minutes sifting through heaps of debris before locating Lord, who was crying and trapped in a fallen tree about 30 feet from their former home, Moore recounted.
"It was like a scene in a movie," Moore said. "I remember seeing Aramis walking up in the pouring down rain, clothes ripped, with Lord in his arms."
A single tornado traveled more than 40 miles
The mattress on which Sydney Moore rested with one of her 1-year-old son lies amid the remains of her mobile home, which was destroyed by a tornado.
Sydney Moore, along with thousands of others, were displaced and affected by the destructive storms that hit Tennessee last Saturday. The tornadoes left devastation in their wake, destroying hundreds of homes and resulting in at least six fatalities, including a mother and her toddler.
Hendersonville and the Nashville suburb of Madison were devastated by a tornado with peak winds reaching 125 mph, as reported by the National Weather Service. The tornado, which spanned nearly 43 miles from the Clarksville area in Montgomery County to Logan County, caused extensive damage by destroying homes and businesses, tearing off roofs and windows, flipping over vehicles, and blocking roads with fallen trees and debris in both counties.
Just before the Clarksville tornado hit, Moore, Youngblood, and the boys were unwinding in her mobile home.
"We heard the wind getting stronger and then we were filled with a sense of urgency," Moore recounted.
After the tornado swept through Clarksville, the family found themselves without their belongings and with a crushed car due to fallen trees. Unfortunately, the debris also made it difficult for first responders to reach them. As a result, they had to walk over a mile to seek help.
"I had help from another woman who assisted me in carrying Lord while we looked for paramedics," Moore recounted.
A tornado passes in front of storm chasers in Clarksville, Tennessee, last Saturday.
SCV/Connor Healey & Summer Ashley
Clarksville Fire Rescue Lt. Steven Bryant was one of the first responders on the scene that day. He remembered hearing a group of people yelling and rushing toward the chaos. A police officer was carrying Lord in her arms. Bryant and the officer crouched under a fallen utility pole to meet each other. The baby had a cut on his face.
Storm damage on Nesbitt Lane in Madison, Tennessee, on Saturday.
Nashville Office of Emergency Management
Tennessee tornadoes leave at least 6 dead, dozens hurt and more than 35,000 without power
An ambulance headed down a nearby road, and Bryant had someone flag it down. "I mean, what perfect timing," he said.
When Bryant reached the ambulance, he said, the baby had gone quiet.
"He appeared to be breathing, but he was caked in mud and had cuts on the right side of his face," the lieutenant reported.
Meanwhile, medics assessed the infant while Bryant stepped out of the ambulance to have a conversation with the mother, who was holding her 1-year-old.
Bryant observed that Moore was visibly shaken, and the medics later returned Lord to his mother. "The destruction was extensive, and it's a miracle that people weren't more seriously injured," said Bryant, a Clarksville native who has lived in the north Tennessee city for 45 years.
Moore recalled the medics handing Lord back to her, telling her he is a "perfectly healthy baby."
I believe in guardian angels and miracles
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Caitlyn Moore has created a GoFundMe page to assist her sister and two nephews, raising over $55,000 to date.
"I honestly didn't anticipate any assistance. It's truly comforting," Sydney Moore stated. "I've lost every possession I've ever owned."
Caitlyn Moore expressed gratitude that most of the family escaped with only minor cuts and bruises, as Lord had a cut on his ear that was treated with skin glue. The family is currently staying in a hotel.
"We were told that he appeared to have been placed on the tree gently," Caitlyn Moore wrote. "It was as if an angel had guided him safely to that spot."
During an interview, Caitlyn Moore expressed gratitude that her Lord is alive, describing it as a miracle. She shared that among the debris of her sister's mobile home, they discovered a box containing the ashes of their late mother, which were found undisturbed and untouched. Moore noted that everything was still in perfect condition, just as they had left it.
"I believe in guardian angels and miracles," Caitlyn Moore said. "I believe that our mom was probably the one that placed my nephew Lord in that tree safely."
