CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Patrick and Michele Mowrey are stuck in Chesapeake.
The couple has been traveling the country for the last six years in their RV, but after a tornado touched down in the Edinburgh area November 1, they have been unable to travel.
Patrick and Michele were inside their RV when the tornado touched down. Michele says she was watching the radar, but thought the storm was going to pass them.
"I walked out of the bathroom and it just stopped," she explained. "Then the radar in the RV and on our phones went off. I said, 'Patrick, it’s a tornado,' and that’s when the tree hit."
Patrick, who was asleep until the radar went off, says he felt like the RV was being picked up by the wind.
"I thought we were going up in the air and then kaboom! The tree fell. It was like a bomb went off."
An extremely large tree in a nearby yard uprooted and fell directly on top of the RV. Miraculously, the couple was not injured by the storm or the falling tree. They escaped out of the RV through a back window and took shelter at a nearby home.
Once the storm cleared, they were able to take a good look at the damage.
"We instantly knew that our RV lifestyle was over," said Michele.
The Mowreys had their entire lives inside the RV. Now nearly everything they own is destroyed, including their way of life.
"There's a lot of sadness, because we are going to have a much more difficult time getting around," said Michele. "We loved it. This was our home. It's cozy, it's small, but we really liked it."
The couple is working with insurance to file claims for everything they own, but in the meantime they are looking for a new place to call home.
They created a GoFundMe page to help cover their expenses while they try to get back on their feet.
