Evelia Araujo thought it was just another spring thunderstorm hitting Springdale, Arkansas. That was until her son stepped outside of their mobile home and ran back in to tell her that a tornado was overhead.

“He said there were trailer homes being overturned and then that‘s when I got worried,” she said.

Not only was she there, but so was her husband, two sons and grandparents. She knew it could become a real family disaster but that night luck was with them.

Evelia said the damage to the home was small but still it would be expensive to repair. For her, the most important thing was she and her family survived without injury.

Red Cross caseworker Linda Morgan stopped by to see what she could do to help out in the family’s recovery efforts.

As Linda filled out the information on her computer, Evelia looked around and thought about what could have been.

“We are so lucky, so fortunate. There are so many others who are so much worse off,” she said.

Her message to the Red Cross was as simple as it was heartfelt: “Thank you, thank you. You were here when we needed help. That means so much.”