PICS: Lansing Radio DJ’s Family Hit by Tennessee Tornado

JR co-hosts the "WITL Wake-Up Show" with Kristen Matthews, mornings from 5:30am to 10am on Lansing's 100.7 WITL.

Although I was born in Michigan and lived here the first several years of my life, I lived in the South for a long time - including places like Texas and Tennessee.

One of the things you learn quickly (and get to practice a little more) when you live in that area of the country is how to take cover during a tornado.

Get our free mobile app

An EF-3 tornado struck Clarksville, Tennessee, this weekend. That's where I went to high school and college, and where my mother and brother still live.

My family's dodged the bullet several times over the years - but this one hit home. Literally.

As my mom took cover in the bathtub of her small mobile home, a tornado with winds estimated up to 150 miles per hour barreled its way through her neighborhood. Most of the trees around her home snapped. The deck outside her front door was spared, but it no longer has a roof. Her trailer was not seriously damaged.

My brother, who lives next door, wasn't quite as lucky. He wasn't home at the time, but came home to half his roof having been blown away.

SEE ALSO: Remembering the Michigan Tornado Outbreak of 1997

It's tarped over now, and they'll be able to fix things eventually.

Several homes on the next street over were removed from their foundations, while others were completely decimated. Multiple people lost their lives in this storm. I am grateful that the damage my family experienced was not worse than it was.

If you'd like to offer assistance to other victims of the Tennessee tornadoes, here's how you can help.