By Katie Zamminer

The entrance of the Blackman community looks like a picture perfect subdivision. Fortress Boulevard is lined with brand new houses and an elementary school. Turning onto Indian Creek, a small playground catches the eye, along with an inviting walking path.

However, this subdivision was nearly destroyed by the Good Friday 2009 storm.

It was evening when Chris Morvai was able to enter his neighborhood. “I just remember driving down the street to my house,” said Morvai. “All of the garage doors had been severely dented in because of the tornado’s suction.”

He arrived at his house to find moderate damage.

A lot of the siding had been ripped off and a large opening now replaced what had once been a peak on the roof. Morvai went out onto his back patio to assess the damage and that was when he noticed it.

From his backyard, Morvai could see one of the completely ravished homes, a car sitting in its living room. “As I walked down the street, I saw that the other home’s second floor had now become its ground floor,” he said.

“It was then that I started to notice what was going on around me,” said Morvai. “I felt like I was in a war zone. There were cop cars, ambulances, news crews, dozens of helicopters flying overhead and the people. There were so many people just walking around everywhere.”

That day, Morvai only had two hours to move things out of his house and cover what he could not move.
The recovery was a slow process. It was three to four weeks before Morvai’s insurance company could even assess the damage. He was told 100 homeowners had already called for help, too.

Morvai’s house was eventually repaired, and the neighborhood slowly returned to normal. From his backyard, the once demolished homes are now rebuilt, many with brick. The lawns are covered in dirt and straw, waiting for spring turn brown to green.
Looking back, Morvai explained that he only had one word to describe the experience of a tornado.

“Surreal,” said Morvai. “In my opinion, the media and movies have kind of made us all immune to it. When it’s your life, it’s completely different from what you think you know.”