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Independence mom talks importance of taking shelter during Tuesday's storm

'It was honestly really scary'
Independence mom talks importance of taking shelter during Tuesday's storm
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INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado occurred near Berry and Truman roads in Independence, Missouri, on Tuesday.

At least one nearby home was damaged after a tree fell into the roof, while the rest of the surrounding neighborhood saw tree and power line damage.

Independence mom talks importance of taking shelter during Tuesday's storm

“These (limbs) fell. We kind of felt a little bit of a shaking to the point where my youngest, who just turned 2, woke up from a nap," said Paige Parton, who lives in the neighborhood.

Parton's husband rushed home from work, and the family of four went to their safe space.

"I had the kids in the bathroom," she said. "It was honestly really scary because we don’t have a basement here.”

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Parton also put her 2-year-old daughter's crib mattress over her family's heads.

It wasn't her first tornado, so she was teaching her children what to do when a warning is issued.

“I know he (Patron's husband) was really worried about his truck being over here. He was like, ‘My truck is under the tree,'" she said. "His first tornado. I’ve been in a couple because I’ve kinda lived more south Missouri most of my life.”

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Paige Parton looks at tree damage in her backyard in Independence, Missouri.

After the storm, she walked outside to find large limbs down in both her front and back yards. She said her family was lucky the limbs didn't fall a different way.

"I don’t care about anything else, just make sure my kids are safe," she said.

KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.