HEIDENHEIMER, Texas — The community of Heidenheimer, Texas, near Temple, is coming together after it was hit by an EF-1 tornado during severe storms in Central Texas on May 22.
Several homes were damaged and at least one house was completely destroyed. Debris lines the roadways in some spots but inside the House of Hope Outreach church, the pastor says they're thankful.
"Broken trees, part of our roof. Tore off the powerline and the whole box on the side of the church," described Pastor Mike Baggerly in a post-storm video captured on his cell phone.
"We cancelled our services in anticipation for last Wednesday," he said. "When the storm hit, we found ourselves, my wife and I, inside the church building. The noise was crazy. The hail hitting the roof. You could hear crashing and things like that. Overall, we were able to look out and assess the damage. We saw a lot of roof panels all over the neighborhood."
The church building shifted during the storm and the pastor anticipates having to adjust the framework.
"We're fortunate and blessed because a lot of people got it worse than us," Baggerly said. "Just a mile from us, the tornado took out an entire house."
But Baggerly says "God is good" and so are the people in the Heidenheimer community.
"Our neighbors have been a blessing to us. We work together," he said. "They have a big mess over there and we've helped them and they've helped us. It brings community together in times like this, which makes me think we need to do it in good times, not just bad times. We're so grateful we live in this great region and people as a community come together. We're glad for that."
The church's Closet of Hope is open to help any storm victims that may need clothing. They are located at the church property, 5625 E U.S. Hwy 190, Temple (Heidenheimer), Texas.