RUSK COUNTY, Texas — The National Weather Service confirmed on Friday afternoon that it was an EF-2 tornado that hit the Church Hill community, northeast of Henderson. Those living on County Road 262 experienced the worst of it.
John Dunklin was no exception.
Dunklin said he was sitting inside waiting for the rain to subside when he received a tornado warning alert on his cell phone. Right when he looked outside, he saw his neighbor’s roof getting torn off by the heavy winds.
Most people would take shelter right away. However, Dunklin opened his door and sprinted outside.
“We just had a litter of puppies a few weeks ago,” Dunklin said. “The first thing on my mind was saving those pups.”
He ran right towards the kennel on the side of his house, the winds from the tornado whipping debris around him as he ran.
“I saw trees swirling through the air, tin flying at me like darts.”
Finally, he reached the kennel and opened the gates to let the dogs loose. As he did so, the metal roof began to cave in and shoot up into the air. One sharp piece landed just inches from him. He grabbed onto the nearest pole and held on as tight as he could.
Dunklin was then hit and taken to the ground by a falling tree. As he lay on the rain-soaked ground, his faithful dog, Flash stuck right next to him.
“I was holding on for my life. But Flash… he wouldn’t leave me. He was laying there with me when the tree fell.”
Dunklin was taken to a local hospital that night. He was quickly released, diagnosed with a collapsed lung. But for him, that was the least of his concerns.
He’s grateful that he and all his dogs are okay. Now, he’s already on his feet and cleaning up the storm debris in his yard.
“We just finished building this all last week. But now, it’s just time to start the rebuilding process.”