Residents describe moment when EF2 tornado passed over their homes

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — Two weeks ago, several Pike County residents sheltered inside their homes as an EF2 tornado tore through.

Along Elm Street, many families walked outside to find their homes and property damaged.

“When you walk out, you don’t expect it to see what you see,” said Kelli Baggott.

Plenty of homes were damaged and power lines and trees downed. Baggott, who works at the university, was inside her home when the tornado passed through.

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“I was just hoping that everyone was safe, that everyone was paying attention to the weather and making sure that they were in their safe spot, and hoping that it wouldn’t be as bad as they were expecting it was going to be,” she said.

Lauren Cole, Troy University’s Executive Director of the Center for Student Success, was also home during the storm.

“We could hear the popping and snapping of trees all around us,” Cole recalled. “We were all huddled in our closet and it got really, really loud. The wind was extremely loud, so I wasn’t sure how much damage we had. It almost sounded like it was in the house.”

The path of the tornado that swept through Pike County on March 15, 2025; courtesy of the National Weather Service

With only minor damages to their homes, Baggott and Cole said they are grateful it wasn’t worse. Still, their hearts go out to those who were hit harder.

“Almost none of the houses on our road were hit,” Baggott said. “We all had minor damage, but not even 500 yards up from us, there was a lot of damage. We’re blessed on our road.”

“We had some pretty significant damage, but thankfully it was just to our property and not our home,” Cole said. It was a scary, scary time, but we’re so thankful there were no injuries.”

Now, the community is coming together to regroup with volunteers making all the difference.

“All of the volunteers that showed up the day after it happened were vital to us,” Cole told TrojanVision. “We didn’t have power at the time, and we weren’t really sure what kind of damage we had.”

“We wouldn’t have been able to get through off of our driveway,” Baggott said. “It’s good to know that you have neighbors that way and that we can rely on each other in times like this.”

As cleanup efforts continue, those who were impacted say they are glad to live in such a selfless community. Some of the groups that offered their support included local churches, M5 Construction and Salem Baptist Association.