Family loses everything in Smithville Lake tornado: ‘We just have to try and rebuild’
A family loses everything in a Smithville Lake
By Zoë Shriner
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SMITHVILLE, Missouri (KCTV) — According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, they “rarely share crowdfunding links,” but the loss one family suffered in Tuesday’s tornado was enough for them to make an exception.
Just before 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Smithville Lake was hit by an EF-1 tornado. The National Weather Service reported that winds hit a maximum of 95 mph. Trees were downed, buildings were damaged and a family’s camper was knocked over and nearly destroyed, rendering it unlivable.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Department posted a photo of the wrecked camper on Facebook, explaining that “A mom, dad and 11-year-old boy, as well as their dog and cat, lived in this camper full-time.”
Although the family and their pets made it to safety in the campground’s storm shelters, they wrote in a GoFundMe that most of their belongings were ruined.
“With now no place to call home we feel defeated,” they wrote. “Our 11-year-old son is very shaken and not sure how to process all this either.”
According to the post, the family had just moved to Smithville Lake in February after losing their home in 2023. When they met with the Clay County Sheriff’s Emergency Management crew after the storm, they told them their story.
“We know firsthand what this family is enduring and the hard road ahead they face,” the Clay County Sheriff’s Department wrote in its Facebook post, linking to the family’s GoFundMe.
In response to the Facebook post, dozens of people offered to loan the family their campers, donate clothes, and provide other resources. The GoFundMe has raised over $16,000.
“From here we just have to try and rebuild and thank our lord above that he looked out for us to make the shelter house in matter [of] seconds,” the family wrote.
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