Merriwether Family Huddles on Bathroom Floor, Escapes F2 Tornado and 115 MPH Winds

MERRIWETHER – Only Cherokee really knows how bad it was.

The little dog had somehow ridden out the 115-mph winds in the backyard and survived the maelstrom of an F2 tornado that devastated the immediate area.

For the rest of the Miller family, though – who barely had time to take cover themselves before the winds hit, and who huddled together in the bathroom of their home on Wildlife Trail – Sunday’s wild ride was plenty bad enough.

Dwayne Miller remembered watching a tornado pass nearby in 1998 when a damaging storm system again battered the Merriwether area. This time the storm hit much closer to home.

“We weren’t worried about anything,” he said. “We knew about the Tornado Watch and had been looking and everything, but all we’d had was some drizzle and almost no wind. Then out of nowhere about that time (10:30 p.m.) you could hear the wind start and then it just kept getting louder and louder and louder. I could tell something wasn’t right.”

The sound of massive trees snapping just outside his door provided confirmation.

“We all got down in the bathroom and just got down in the floor because I figured that was the safest place to be,” he said. “You could hear the trees popping and then there was a loud bang and the (living room) roof fell down.”

So the Millers hung onto each other until the storm’s fury passed after a matter of minutes.

“When the last one came through (in 1998), we were in that same bathroom,” he said. “Back then we had a mattress that we pulled over us, but we didn’t have time to get it this time.”

The family spent Monday surveying the damage and waiting for an insurance adjustor to arrive.

“There used to be plenty of shade back there,” said Samantha Miller, Dwayne’s wife. “There’s no shade back there anymore.”

Even Cherokee seemed a bit solemn following the ordeal, choosing to take a few moments out of the day to nap under a fallen Pine.

He’d definitely earned the rest.

How the dog was able to remain injury free after some much chaos had swirled around and over him will always remain a mystery to the Miller family.

“I don’t know how he wasn’t hurt in all that, it’s a miracle,” Dwayne said. “He’s a survivor, for sure.”

Emergency Management Director Says Residents Should Be Prepared For ‘Active’ Spring, Summer Weather Season

Edgefield County Emergency Management Director Mike Casey said Tuesday that state EMA officials have advised their local counterparts to be prepared for a busier spring and summer than what took place last year.

At a recent conference, officials stated that based on their observations of past weather patterns, that a relatively sedate weather cycle – like what the county enjoyed last spring and summer – is usually followed by more severe turns in the cycle.

Casey said Sunday’s tornadoes, which arrived even before the month of April did, would appear to bear out that analysis.

“Having an F2 (rated tornado) is pretty spiffy for the first storm event of the spring,” he said. “And right out of the box we get hit with an F2, it’s something that does not bode well for the rest of the spring and summer. But to have two mobile homes and where both (families) came out unscathed … I’m very thankful no one was injured.”

This March has featured wild swings in weather, from snow in the early part to severe storms at the end. Mr. Casey said residents should take this opportunity to ensure they have an emergency plan of action for moments just like the one the Miller family faced Sunday.

“We have a history of (severe storms) coming through the Merriwether area, and lots of times they scoot above (Edgefield), but we get our fair share of bad weather and I don’t see where that’s going to change,” he said. “Anytime we have one of the quiet summers like we had last summer, they pulled the data and the next spring and summer was very active for bad weather, so they’re predicting a very active spring and summer for bad weather.

“We get that into people’s heads about having a weather radio and how important that is, but it’s also important that you have that safe room and an action plan. All the information in the world won’t help if you don’t have a action plan. You also need to have a rally point for before and after an event happens. The key is to have a plan on where to go in the house and have a place to meet if everyone becomes separated, some place safe.”