ELBERT COUNTY, Colo. — Linda and Tim Greenwood moved to the Elkhorn Ranch neighborhood in 2016 and watched their home be built from the ground up. However, they now look out on the devastation and destruction of their home after a tornado struck in May.
"We lost about 90% of our possessions, literally the stuff in the barn, and a lot of the stuff inside the house was just gone or destroyed; that's going to be a lot of rebuilding," Tim Greenwood said.
While there were no injuries or deaths, Elbert County officials shared at least 19 homes were damaged or destroyed near the town of Elizabeth. The National Weather Service confirmed four tornadoes hit across the eastern plains on May 18, with three of the four tornadoes rated EF2.
"I saw it coming right towards us, so I knew it's going to hit us pretty good," said Tim Greenwood. "It was headed right towards us for some reason, and she said, 'let's go to the basement,' and we only had seconds to get down to the basement, and before I knew it, it was just crushing our house, and we could hear it."
When the Southland's mall tornado hit in 2009, Linda Greenwood explained that their house was spared, but others in the area were hit hard. Even though she had witnessed a tornado before, she explained just how scary this situation was.
"It was loud, glass breaking, wood cracking, and popping, and so it was something like I've never experienced before," Linda Greenwood said.
In the weeks that followed, the Greenwoods have been sorting through the damage and left with the emotional toll of it all. Luckily, they have been able to lean on their neighbors, friends, and family members who have picked them up during this devastating time.
"We've had people out all the time picking things up and bringing food by while we're out here working and taking care of some of the things that we can't take care of while we're trying to get insurance, and while we're trying to get some of the paperwork done that we have to do, and I can't ever repay these neighbors for what they've done for us," Linda Greenwood said.
While they have been picking up the pieces and navigating through this challenging time, Tim Greenwood noticed another dilemma that was happening. His truck kept getting flat tires daily, as the surrounding area was filled with debris and nails.
"I use my truck daily to get the work, to come out here, to pick up debris, to pick up stuff that we need," Tim Greenwood explained.
Thanks to the generosity of Denver7 viewers, Denver7 Gives was able to purchase brand-new tires for Greenwood's truck and provide a little relief during this challenging time.
"This is a huge weight off my shoulders," Tim Greenwood said. "I don't have to worry about my tires anymore, so that really helped out, and I really appreciate it, and there are just no words I can say that express my gratitude that the viewers of Denver7 really stepped up and showed what the community can do and we're just proud to have you as a community."
Denver7 Gives was also able to help tornado victims in Bennett, providing dumpsters for a family looking to collect the debris as quickly as possible and help purchase a brand new chicken coop.
Denver7 features the stories of people who need help, and now you can help them with a cash donation through Denver7 Gives. One hundred percent of contributions to the fund will be used to help people in our local community.
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