Margaret Barton is a resident of Celina, Texas. Like most Texans, she and her husband listened to the 10 p.m. news and monitored the developing storms on Saturday night. As Barton watched the news, she was notified that the storms were moving North of Celina, which put them at ease. They went to bed a few minutes later.

Barton's daughter woke her in the middle of the night with a desperate phone call, telling her they needed to evacuate because a tornado was headed straight toward them. Barton, her husband, and their dogs ran directly to their windowless bathroom without hesitation. They sheltered in the bathroom for forty long minutes.

“As alerts came in and our bathroom lights flashed, we could feel the atmosphere change almost instantly.” Barton shivered as she recalled the events of a few hours ago. “My husband and I leaned over to hold each other tight and cover our dogs.”

Within a single breath, the tornado tore off the ceiling above them. Boards and sheetrock flew around them while rain poured down on Barton and her husband. The Barton’s determination to survive pushed them to weather out the tornado.

Barton dialed 911 as soon as the tornado passed over. With rubble, boards and pointed metal spread across the room they sheltered in, the Bartons had to wait for help to get out of their home safely. As the Celina Fire Department arrived, the Bartons yelled and shone their flashlights to direct the firefighters to their location in the rubble.

The fire department passed the Bartons and their dogs like a hand-to-hand assembly line. “I’m most gracious for the care they gave us as they got us out of there. Thank you, Lord, we made it through.”

In the Celina neighborhood, neighbors and community members came in droves with water, food and helping hands to assist those affected by the tornadoes. Barton said, “It’s a wonderful thing to see our community come together.”

During her interaction with the Red Cross, Barton reminisced about working with the Red Cross as a Girl Scout: “I remember others would call them, yet this is the first time I had to call them. Thank you for coming and being here for us. I appreciate what you do and the support you have shown me today.”

If the North Texas tornadoes have impacted you, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS for assistance.

If you want to help our fellow Texans affected by the Noth Texas Tornadoes, you can make a donation at RedCross.org/donate.