Twelve-year-old Dustin Nichols admits it’s hard for him to stay away from the family’s new weather radio when a storm is brewing. Who could blame him? Six months ago, the Nichols were blindsided by a rare winter tornado that ripped their home off its foundation in northern Boone County. Dustin was knocked unconscious and later given four staples in his head. His grandmother, Jeanette, was nearly killed. “We ran to the basement when we saw a horizontal wall of water come by,” Dustin said. Six months after a rare January twister tore a path through Boone County, families like the Nichols are rebuilding what they can and trying to get back home. Four families were displaced by the tornado after their homes were declared unliveable. “I don’t like this completely uprooted feeling,” said John Nichols, who has been staying with his family in temporary housing in Candlewick Lake. The Nichols have built an outbuilding on their property along Beaverton Road. They finished it two to three weeks ago. The home is next. Optimistically, they want to move in by October. The home’s foundation had yet to be laid Wednesday. They won’t try to replicate their two-story wood home. Instead a half-brick ranch is the plan. Joseph Nichols, 69, said he doesn’t stop to think about all they’ve lost. “We have to keep our spirits up. That’s the main thing,” he said. His wife, Jeanette, 65, was hospitalized for 12 days after the storm. She was the most seriously ...
Anytime
Twelve-year-old Dustin Nichols admits it’s hard for him to stay away from the family’s new weather radio when a storm is brewing. Who could blame him? Six months ago, the Nichols were blindsided by a rare winter tornado that ripped their home off its foundation in northern Boone County. Dustin was knocked unconscious and later given four staples in his head. His grandmother, Jeanette, was nearly killed. “We ran to the basement when we saw a horizontal wall of water come by,” Dustin said. Six months after a rare January twister tore a path through Boone County, families like the Nichols are rebuilding what they can and trying to get back home. Four families were displaced by the tornado after their homes were declared unliveable. “I don’t like this completely uprooted feeling,” said John Nichols, who has been staying with his family in temporary housing in Candlewick Lake. The Nichols have built an outbuilding on their property along Beaverton Road. They finished it two to three weeks ago. The home is next. Optimistically, they want to move in by October. The home’s foundation had yet to be laid Wednesday. They won’t try to replicate their two-story wood home. Instead a half-brick ranch is the plan. Joseph Nichols, 69, said he doesn’t stop to think about all they’ve lost. “We have to keep our spirits up. That’s the main thing,” he said. His wife, Jeanette, 65, was hospitalized for 12 days after the storm. She was the most seriously ...