KANSAS CITY, Mo. — John and JoEllen Duncan suffered a tremendous loss after a tornado ripped through Caldwell County, Missouri in October, destroying their home
"Every time I open that door it just breaks my heart, we lived here for 20 years and now no one can ever live here again,” John Duncan said.
For nearly two months of digging through debris, the family has been working to pick up pieces of their home.
“Every time we come to our home you just mourn because there is not really a place to go home,” JoEllen Duncan said.
The Duncans said mourning the loss of their home is something they now share with those in Kentucky and other states whose lives were destroyed by recent tornadoes.
“To see those images, and to hear a story about family who was lifted up out of their bathtub, to a neighbors home, my heart just kind of — I know how hard this has been, and I know we were protected and safe so I cant even imagine how hard that would be for them,” JoEllen said.
After high winds ripped through the Kansas City area Wednesday, The Duncans said they are now reliving their nightmare.
“It just felt like going back in time a little bit” JoEllen said. “We had a dumpster and there were quite a few things lifted out of that and just more damage inside of the house.”
As they continue to try and rebuild their lives, the Duncans say the holidays this year will simply not be the same.
“Right now there hasn’t been a place for a tree, not a lot of time to be thinking of shopping, but I'm also thinking of 'The Grinch Stole Christmas,'” JoEllen said. “We still found peace knowing we are going to celebrate what really matters."
Now as they work to regain a sense of normalcy, the Duncans say they are trying to find peace and comfort knowing there are brighter days ahead.
“I’m grateful I have more compassion because I’ve always heard of people having disasters and I didn't really know what it felt to feel homeless, even if you had a place to stay,” JoEllen said.
