With two autistic children ages three and five, Abby’s life revolves around her family’s routine. Between therapies, school and gymnastics, she manages over 30 appointments a week. She says, “Routine is everything to autistic kids. It reduces their anxiety.” On a warm day in May 2013, Abby saw the routine she had carefully constructed destroyed by an EF-5 tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma and neighboring Oklahoma City.
Although forecasts that day called for severe weather, Abby and her husband wanted to take advantage of a rare day off and went to a movie. She says, “We thought, we are going to a movie, it is two hours, [it’s] not even raining outside, if something is going to get bad then it will get bad later tonight.” About halfway through the movie, Abby got a call from the daycare center across the street from where her children were playing—a tornado was coming and they were evacuating the children to a storm shelter.
- How did Abby and her husband get to their children?
- Did they have a family communications plan?
- Were they prepared for a tornado?
Find out what happened by watching the latest America’s PrepareAthon!disaster survivor video, “It Started Like Any Other Day.”
Thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for this information.
