Back in 2012, two days after an EF-4 tornado tore through the southwest
corner of Illinois and hit Harrisburg, another EF-4 tornado
tore trough the southeast corner of Indiana and decimated Henryville.
Saturday brings the one year mark since Henryville was seemingly wiped off the map. While much is still to be done in Henryville, many in the town still have hope.
***
Recovery doesn't come with a road map but it does come with signs. If you drive into Henryville, those signs will lead you to the driveway of J.T. Higdon.
"I'm J.T. Higdon, 'T' stands for trouble," Higdon said.
But trouble would find him on March 2nd, 2012.
It was a warm day then a dark day and then a difficult day. It was a day where trouble not only found him but also found his family.
"My daughter, grand-daughter and sister were in the school when it hit," Higdon said.
"There were no injuries here, only minor injuries at best," said Troy Albert, the principal of the school in Henryville. "Those were from ceiling tiles that fell as the hail came down as we exited the building."
The EF-4 tornado left scars as souvenirs and piles of rubble as reminders. The storm system killed nearly a dozen people across the Ohio River Valley while also claiming dozens of lives across the Deep South.
Even a year later, the signs of what happened on that unusually warm day in March 2012 are everywhere in Henryville.
"There's been some good days and there's been some sad days," Higdon said. "It's not so much going through it, it's the after effects.You look around and you're neighbor's house is gone.
Higdon considers himself one of the lucky ones because he was able to re-build his home. He considers himself lucky because, well, others haven't been able to.
Nature's wrath may have carved a gash through Henryville but never for a second has it divided the people of Henryville.
"In so many ways, I'd say it's been good for the town," Higdon said. "I know that's hard to say and sad to say, but it brought the people together after they had started to drift apart."
In Henryville, rebuilding comes from a process.
In J.T. Higdon's driveway recovery comes from perspective.
"My grandson, we had a memorial service for him Thursday," Higdon said as he choked back tears. "We put him to rest. It's been hard, harder than that tornado."
You don't need a road map to see just how far Henryville has come over the last year. All you need is a conversation on a driveway.
Tornadoes can take away buildings but they also give you a greater appreciation for the people you shared those buildings with.
"I wake up every morning and I look up and say, Lord, we made it through yesterday," Higdon said. "Let's try another day. And that's the way it is."
Saturday brings the one year mark since Henryville was seemingly wiped off the map. While much is still to be done in Henryville, many in the town still have hope.
***
Recovery doesn't come with a road map but it does come with signs. If you drive into Henryville, those signs will lead you to the driveway of J.T. Higdon.
"I'm J.T. Higdon, 'T' stands for trouble," Higdon said.
But trouble would find him on March 2nd, 2012.
It was a warm day then a dark day and then a difficult day. It was a day where trouble not only found him but also found his family.
"My daughter, grand-daughter and sister were in the school when it hit," Higdon said.
"There were no injuries here, only minor injuries at best," said Troy Albert, the principal of the school in Henryville. "Those were from ceiling tiles that fell as the hail came down as we exited the building."
The EF-4 tornado left scars as souvenirs and piles of rubble as reminders. The storm system killed nearly a dozen people across the Ohio River Valley while also claiming dozens of lives across the Deep South.
Even a year later, the signs of what happened on that unusually warm day in March 2012 are everywhere in Henryville.
"There's been some good days and there's been some sad days," Higdon said. "It's not so much going through it, it's the after effects.You look around and you're neighbor's house is gone.
Higdon considers himself one of the lucky ones because he was able to re-build his home. He considers himself lucky because, well, others haven't been able to.
Nature's wrath may have carved a gash through Henryville but never for a second has it divided the people of Henryville.
"In so many ways, I'd say it's been good for the town," Higdon said. "I know that's hard to say and sad to say, but it brought the people together after they had started to drift apart."
In Henryville, rebuilding comes from a process.
In J.T. Higdon's driveway recovery comes from perspective.
"My grandson, we had a memorial service for him Thursday," Higdon said as he choked back tears. "We put him to rest. It's been hard, harder than that tornado."
You don't need a road map to see just how far Henryville has come over the last year. All you need is a conversation on a driveway.
Tornadoes can take away buildings but they also give you a greater appreciation for the people you shared those buildings with.
"I wake up every morning and I look up and say, Lord, we made it through yesterday," Higdon said. "Let's try another day. And that's the way it is."
