JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Missy Lattanzie is heartbroken but humbled. Her home was picked up and thrown into a nearby lake at an RV park inside Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
Her life is shattered and scattered. "I can't be more thankful because we could have had a loss of life, or injury, or something we couldn't recoup from. But, we can replace things," Lattanzie said.
An unwelcome visitor, an EF2 tornado, destroyed several homes taking aim at Lattanzie's fifth wheel. She and her family, including two grandkids, weren't home at the time.
A birthday celebration for her 11-year-old grandson kept them occupied off base. "If we hadn't had left, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. There's not a doubt in my mind. We wouldn't have survived that," she told First Coast News.
Birthday presents and other possessions are gone, including the one personal keepsake she hopes turns up - her parent's wedding bands. They died months apart in 2014.
"I'm hoping that when they pull the wreckage out tomorrow, that we, if we don't recoup anything, those are the things I really would like to find," she said.
Her family's been able to find temporary housing, but money is tight. For a few hours Thursday, she combed through the debris looking for clothes to wear. There isn't much left, but she does have hope.
"Until you experience that devastation and the loss of everything you own, you can't actually appreciate what people go through. It's very life-changing," she said.
A GoFundMe page was set up for the family.
The family is also looking for clothing donations, including boys 16/18 (XL) with a men's 6.5 shoe size and a girls 7/8 with a 1 shoe size.