Ms Hooker said that Annistyns family hadnt yet unpacked from their 4 December move from Caruthersville to their new home along Highway J, just west of the city. "Sometime during this conversation, she Snapchatted that picture of the girls in the tub. A candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, and an Amazon facility in Edwardsville, Illinois, were hit. But she said Annistyn still was full of energy and delighted in donning outfits and makeup for cheer competitions and learning new dances from TikTok. (Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP), AMAZON WAREHOUSE COLLAPSE IN ILLINOIS: ALL MISSING PEOPLE NOW ACCOUNTED FOR, POLICE SAY. The great aunt of a nine-year-old Missouri girl killed last week in the deadly tornado outbreak across the Midwest shared the moments leading up to the tragedy in an emotional "Fox & Friends" interview Wednesday. Hooker described Annistyn as an outgoing, loving, and creative young girl that loved dancing and cheerleading. '", Trey told her that the chaos sounded like a loud train, "and then he was up in the air, and trying to hold Lani. Market data provided by Factset. Both the strong storms and heavy rain will likely move out by noon Monday, the NBC 5 Storm Team says. "Her stomach was distended, and they were looking to make sure that she didn't have some kind of belly bleed," Hooker says. But update shortly after that indicated that "the severe weather threat appears to be diminishing. She said she bonded with Annistyn during doctors visits and blood draws and said the girl liked to draw with chalk on the cement of her carport. "The child psychologist came into the room and helped her grandmother tell her. (Summer Alexander/Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP), Missouri county police captain on post-storm looting and recovery efforts. Hooker reflected on the 9-year-old's perseverance in her young life, following a diagnosis of a rare live disease. Her great aunt said that the diagnosis never held her back, and she was encouraged by her sisters and her parents to live life to the fullest. Annistyn also attended the same elementary school where her mom and Ms Hooker teach. In this Dec. 10, 2021, photo provided by Sandra Hooker, from left, Avalinn Rackley, 7, Alanna Rackley, 3, and Annistyn Rackley, 9, pose for a picture in a bathroom in their home near Caruthersville, Missouri. He wanted to turn over Annistyn's favorite blanket, thick as it was with mud stains after being found in the field. She said she talked to the girls mother, Meghan Rackley, on Friday afternoon about the possibility of bad storms. Tight rotation in this area may produce a brief tornado at any moment. But he and the youngest daughter, 3-year-old Alanna Little Lani are no longer hospitalized. ", "But Ava had been asking about her mother, 'Is mommy alive?'" But she said Annistyn still was full of energy and delighted in donning outfits and makeup for cheer competitions and learning new dances from TikTok. She said, 'I was flying around in that tornado.' Are the girls going to know? 7-year-old Avalinn Rackley broke her vertebrae in the same storm that destroyed her family home and took the life of her older sister.. After a successful surgery on Wednesday, Although much of the area will see rain, thunder, lightning and gusty winds, other parts will see stronger storms with damaging winds up to 60 miles per hour, the NBC 5 Storm Team says. "And God can give us a miracle with Meghan.". Their house is splintered, she told The Associated Press. And her grandmother assured her that she was not gonna die," continues Hooker. Annistyn was a bubbly little girl, her great aunt Sandra Hooker told People . But he and the youngest daughter, 3-year-old Alanna Little Lani are no longer hospitalised. MISSOURI GIRL, PICTURED 15 MINUTES BEFORE TORNADO HIT, FOUND DEAD IN FIELD DOZENS OF YARDS AWAY, In this photo provided by Sandra Hooker, from left, Avalinn Rackley, 7, Alanna Rackley, 3, and Annistyn Rackley, 9, pose for a picture in a bathroom in their home near Caruthersville, Missouri. On the right, the Rackley family poses for a picture while on a trip to Sedona, Arizona. When Annistyn Rackley was born with a rare liver disease that required major surgery at just 2 months old, small-town Caruthersville, Missouri hard against the Mississippi River in the rural southeast corner of the state poured out its heart to raise funds for the family's medical expenses. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The front door was in a tree behind the house. Ms Hooker called Annistyn a special angel, recalling the girl as outgoing and energetic despite a rare liver condition that required regular doctors visits. Fifteen minutes later, Sandra Hooker said, a tornado splintered the home, carrying the family members dozens of yards through the air into a field where first responders found them in mud. Lote en Mirador del Lago:3.654 m2.Excelente vista al Lago, LOTE EN EL CONDADO DE 1430 m2, EN COSQUIN. To prove they were in their safe space with the storm approaching Friday evening, the girls mom texted her Aunt Sandy a photo of the three in and next to the bathtub all of them smiling, with 9-year-old Annistyn holding her favorite doll. Family and friends set up a donation drive to assist the Rackleys with medical expenses and funds to help them find a new home. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Meghan, 32, her husband Trey, 37, and their three girls Annistyn and younger siblings Avalinn, 7, and Lani, 3 had moved to their new home outside of Caruthersville just one week before the tornado leveled it. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The photo was taken by their mother, Meghan Rackley. And that would be the safest place. ", "That Friday afternoon, everything had been canceled Christmas parties, ball games because we were expecting the bad weather," continues Hooker. Trey and Meghan Rackley In Pemiscot County in southeastern Missouri, bordering Arkansas and Kentucky, where the Rackleys live, the sheriffs office did not immediately return telephone messages Monday seeking comment about the storm that destroyed the Rackleys home. The other family members were injured, but survived. Her mom and her dad encouraged her and supported her to live life to the full.". But she adds that finding those three specific, tangible pieces from the girl's life are a comfort. Ky. Tornado Survivors Speak Out as Death Toll Hits 64: 'I Kept Praying, Please Let Me Get to My Kids'. 1:41. Her father, Trey Rackley, a 37-year-old trucking company dispatcher, suffered cuts and bruises and remains sore and sometimes in shock, Ms Hooker said. Then yesterday they took [Lani] up to the PICU and let [Ava] see her. Annistyn also attended the same elementary school where her mom and Hooker teach. She said she talked to the girls mother, Meghan Rackley, on Friday afternoon about the possibility of bad storms. "I prayed to Jesus for him to take care of me and that tornado spit me out into the mud," a 7-year-old reportedly told doctors. Annistyn also attended the same elementary school where her mom and Hooker teach. Hooker said that Annistyn Rackley's family hadn't yet unpacked from their move Dec. 4 from Caruthersville to their new home along Highway J, just west of the city. Hooker also said she talked to the girls father. (Meghan Rackley, courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP). She said she bonded with Annistyn during doctor's visits and blood draws and said the girl liked to draw with chalk on the cement of her carport. "About 7:23, I texted Meghan and I told her, 'The storms are about 15 minutes away. Trey and Meghan Rackley and their three daughters sought shelter in a windowless bathroom in their southeast Missouri home on Friday evening. But he and the youngest daughter, 3-year-old Alanna Little Lani are no longer hospitalized. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Theres debris strewn forever out in the field, and so they were sucked up into the tornado.. Meghan Rackley was hospitalized for several weeks after the Dec. 10 tornado hit her home. Gov. Kentucky tornado: Facebook groups race to reunite people with belongings including boats, bills and photos found strewn more than 100 miles away, A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. West of St. Louis, 84-year-old Ollie Borgmann, described as a sweet and "typical grandmother," died at a hospital after a tornado on Friday blew the Defiance, Missouri, home she shared with her 84-year-old husband, Vernon, off its foundation. From left, Annistyn Rackley with sisters Avalinn and Lani. Gov. Her husband and three daughters were thrown from the home, killing one of the children . Sandra Hooker was texting with her niece Meghan about the tornado sirens going off in town when she last spoke with her. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All rights reserved. The roof is gone from Don Rackley's home, and on Tuesday evening, rain was falling directly into his house. On the right, the Rackley family poses for a picture while on a trip to Sedona, Arizona. Hooker called Annistyn Rackley a special angel, recalling the girl as outgoing and energetic despite a rare liver condition that required regular doctors visits. BRAGADOCCIO, Mo. Hooker added that she would often call Annistyn an "angel among us.". BRAGGADOCIO, MO. Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Teacher accused of hiding recording devices in school bathrooms, Teen last seen at mall is missing, Newington police say, Journal Sentinel reporters recognized nationally for coverage of health issues, Boys basketball roundup: Teddy Williams' double-double helps Grand Ledge top Eastern, Biden administration urges Congress to renew warrantless surveillance law. Hooker prays they'll provide further comfort when they are placed in Annistyn's casket and buried alongside her. Her nine-year-old daughter, Annistyn, was killed by the tornado. But he and the youngest daughter, 3-year-old Alanna Little Lani are no longer hospitalized. "She was just that giving, caring young girl and all of that has been robbed from her," Sandra Hooker, Annisytn's great aunt, told ABC24 Memphis Tuesday afternoon. When all is said and done, forecast models show rain totals are likely to clock in over an inch, with 1.18 inches predicted at O'Hare International Airport. Nikolas Lanum is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Hooker said Meghan Rackleys injuries included broken bones, a brain injury and a large cut, and shes asking people to pray for the 32-year-old mother. The family's home was hit by a massive tornado on Friday night. Trey and Meghan Rackley and their three daughters sought shelter in a windowless bathroom in their southeast Missouri home as storms raged across the middle of the country. The National Weather Service later confirmed two "brief tornadoes" touched down in two Chicago suburbs during the storms. Tuesday morning, ABC24 Memphis spoke with the children's father, Trey Rackley. Additionally, there were reports that a "brief tornado" touched down in DuPage County, and reports of wind damage from a "possible tornado in Kendall County. More shocking was a trailer which had been parked Rackleys middle daughter, Ava, was seriously injured in the storm and had to undergo several spinal surgeries. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. A young girl, pictured in a photo taken during Saturday's severe weather in Missouri, died during the storm, a family member confirmed. One confirmed death in Missouri was a nine-year-old girl, Annistyn Rackley Her two sisters and parents survived when their house was destroyed by a tornado At least 88 people have died across five states as tornadoes ripped through multiple United States communities in the South and Midwest. The other family members were injured, but survived. In this undated photo provided by Sandra Hooker, the Rackley family poses for a picture while on a trip to Sedona, Arizona. Ava Rackley, 7, had huddled in the bathtub with her two sisters, 3-year-old Lonnie, and 9-year-old Annistyn. And she texted back and she said, 'I'm in the bathroom.' Girl sheltering with family killed in tornado. Just before 10 a.m., a Tornado warning was issued for central DuPage County, "with a thunderstorm capable of producing a brief spin-up tornado over Warrenville and Naperville.". According to forecast models, the chance for such weather will be the highest south of the Kankakee River, and along and south of Interstate 80, forecast models show. She said she talked to the girls mother, Meghan Rackley, on Friday afternoon about the possibility of bad storms. The stuff was just strewn everywhere.". With your steadfast spirit, and the unwavering strength and support of your wonderful family and many friends, your future potential is limitless.. The trees in the front yard were uprooted. But he gets up and powers through it, and is hunting in the mud for his family. All rights reserved. Ms Hooker also said she talked to the girls father. I would just gasp because she could do the splits all the time, and she would just laugh, Hooker said. ", "There's very little left," she explains. Market data provided by Factset. Her husband and three daughters were thrown from the home, "She said that she knew she was flying around the tornado and she said 'I prayed to Jesus for him to take care of me' and that tornado spit me out into the mud," Hooker said. Hooker said Meghan Rackley's injuries included broken bones, a brain injury and a large cut, and she's asking people to pray for the 32-year-old mother. As the tornado threw him outside, Rackley said he held on to his youngest daughter - 3-year-old Lani - and braced for impact. All rights reserved. Hookers account of what happened to the Rackleys came from talking to law enforcement and first responders who were at the scene after the tornado and found family members in the field. After a series of violent storms devastated many midwestern and southern communities last week, one young injured girl is inspiring the masses with her bravery. After Ava reached a hospital in Memphis, Hooker said, she learned from family there that the young girl had told doctors and nurses, I was flying around in the tornado and I prayed to Jesus to take care of me, and he spit me out and the tornado spit me out into the mud.. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! To prove they were in their "safe space" with the storm approaching Friday evening, the girls mom texted her Aunt Sandy a photo of the three in and next to the bathtub all of them smiling, 9-year-old Annistyn holding her favorite doll. EYEWITNESS TO DEADLY KENTUCKY TORNADO DISCUSSES STATE OF COMMUNITY: WE LOST OUR HISTORY. 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