Manchester man shares experience being caught in Lake County tornado

TIPTONVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Manchester man and his group of friends were on a duck hunting trip at Reelfoot Lake Cypress Point Resort in Lake County when a tornado tore through the area.

“It was the scariest 20 seconds of my life by far,” said Harris.

Brett Harris recalls the moment a tornado touched down in Lake County while he and a few other guys were enjoying an annual duck hunting trip.

“We watched it come across the cornfield behind the house,” said Harris.

Harris showed News 4 video of the winds picking up and lightning in the area.

“It turned and came right for us,” Harris said. “We started grabbing mattresses and pillows and couch cushions. We had a mattress on top of us everybody was holding on to it. And it took it like a baseball card. Gone. Ripped it out of our hands.”

Harris said they took cover in the bathroom when the house began shaking.

“We had four walls around us then the next we didn’t,” Harris said. “And we kind of went sliding off into the yard, and all you can do is grab on to each other and pray.”

Unfortunately, a father and son who were also at the resort did not make it out alive. A family friend on Facebook shared a picture with News 4 of Steve Gunn and his son, Grayson.

Harris said his heart goes out to that family.

“We just started checking on everybody going from house to house,” said Harris. “Everyone we checked on was either had minor injuries or they were good.”

Harris said he’s used to Middle Tennessee weather. However, this experience has encouraged him to build a storm shelter in his next home.

He also gained a new perspective on life once he returned to his family.

“It was the happiest feeling in my life...just to see them again and know that I almost didn’t,” Harris said. “It was life-changing.”