All rights reserved. Annistyn was a bubbly little girl, her great aunt Sandra Hooker told People . 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. (Summer Alexander/Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP). Tight rotation in this area may produce a brief tornado at any moment. He and the youngest daughter, 3-year-old Alanna, are no longer in the hospital. BRAGGADOCIO, MO. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Here's why. Ms Hooker is the sister of Meghan Rackleys grandmother, and she said she and Annistyn, or Anni, grew close over the past four years. Now the community of 6,000 is rallying for the Rackleys again this time with prayer, as a tornado spawned by a wave of storms that left destruction and death across six states Friday night killed the 9-year-old and left her mother, Meghan, a kindergarten teacher, unresponsive in the hospital with multiple broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. The Caruthersville community held a service Sunday to honor Annistyn Rackley and keep her family in their thoughts. Hooker said Annistyn's parents learned when she was 2 months old that she had a rare liver disorder in which bile ducts don't develop properly, sometimes making it hard to fight off illness. "Meghan is fighting for her life," says Meghan's aunt, Sandra Hooker, 62, who is also a teacher. 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. From left, Annistyn Rackley with sisters Avalinn and Lani. But he gets up and powers through it, and is hunting in the mud for his family. Then yesterday they took [Lani] up to the PICU and let [Ava] see her. 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. However, the entire Chicago area has seen heavy, on-and-off downpours throughout the morning. Their house is splintered, she told The Associated Press during a telephone interview. '", "They knew that this was gonna come," says Hooker. ", [6:00 AM 2/27] The severe weather threat appears to be diminishing, although gusty winds in stronger showers will be possible this morning. "They brought Baby MawMaw to me, and Im cleaning her up so that Ava can have Baby MawMaw," she said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, steady, heavy rain is expected to continue developing throughout the morning, impacting roads and highways as commuters make their way to work. Although widespread rain is expected to come to an end around noon, some isolated showers are possible in the afternoon. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. (Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP). Earlier reports showed the strongest parts of the storm likely to be in southern Kankakee county and into Northwest Indiana. Ky. Tornado Survivors Speak Out as Death Toll Hits 64: 'I Kept Praying, Please Let Me Get to My Kids'. 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. 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. They brought Baby MawMaw to me, and Im cleaning her up so that Ava can have Baby MawMaw, she said. Those included one in far western Joliet and one on the far north side of Naperville. Trey and Meghan Rackley and their three daughters sought shelter in a windowless bathroom in their southeast Missouri home as storms raged Trey and his youngest daughter survived, but the impact left his wife Meghan in a coma in a Missouri hospital, his 7-year-old daughter in a Memphis hospital, and claimed the life of his oldest daughter, Annistyn. Sandra Hooker was texting with her niece Meghan about the tornado sirens going off in town when she last spoke with her. Rackleys middle daughter, Ava, was seriously injured in the storm and had to undergo several spinal surgeries. Her nine-year-old daughter, Annistyn, was killed by the tornado. "She was the best kid. All rights reserved, WATCH: Procession Escorts Body of Fallen Chicago Officer From Hospital, Storm System Could Bring Rain, Snow, and Gusty Winds to Chicago Area Friday, Chicago Police Officer Shot and Killed on Southwest Side, Chicago Police Release Details of What Led to Officer's Fatal Shooting in Gage Park. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. 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. For more on the devastating tornadoes that occurred and other top stories, listen below to our daily podcast on PEOPLE Every Day. Gov. And I texted her and said, 'The sirens are going off.' 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. Trey's Jeep was probably a hundred yards from the house where it had been parked. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/jjEInxieGQ. 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. And she didn't act like she was disabled or handicapped in any way. And it was like the house 'popped. 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. 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. 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, Sunshine returns to SoCal on Thursday but cold temps stick around, AccuWeather: AM showers before a mild afternoon, Texas lawmakers go over school safety report card, Deputies release minute-by-minute timeline of shootings that killed woman, reporter & girl. (Meghan Rackley/Courtesy of Sandra Hooker via AP), AMAZON WAREHOUSE COLLAPSE IN ILLINOIS: ALL MISSING PEOPLE NOW ACCOUNTED FOR, POLICE SAY. Trey and Meghan Rackley Trey and Meghan Rackley and their three daughters sought shelter in a windowless bathroom in their southeast Missouri 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. Theres debris strewn forever out in the field, and so they were sucked up into the tornado.. 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. She did cartwheels and splits in front of Hooker. WebCopyright 2005, Towers Productions, Inc./The Weather Channel/Litton EntertainmentOriginally aired on August 25, 2005 on The Weather Channel. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "Maybe she won't be forgotten too quickly," she says. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. ", "But Ava had been asking about her mother, 'Is mommy alive?'" Her father, Trey Rackley, a 37-year-old trucking company dispatcher, suffered cuts and bruises and remains sore and sometimes in shock, Hooker said. And while the NWS earlier Monday said the threat of severe weather was "diminishing," a a slew of tornado watches and warnings were issued throughout the 10 a.m. hour. Hooker is the sister of Meghan Rackley's grandmother, and she said she and Annistyn, or Anni, grew close over the past four years. 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. Hooker's 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. The familys home was destroyed as they were carried into the air by the twister, landing in a field where The roof is gone from Don Rackley's home, and on Tuesday evening, rain was falling directly into his house. The entire Rackley family took refuge in their bathroom before a tornado - one of more than 30 storms that ravaged through five states - launched them into the sky Avalinn's older sister, Annistyn, 9, died in the disaster and mother Meghan, 32, suffered sever brain trauma A heartbreaking photo shows a young girl sheltering in a bathtub with her sisters moments before she was killed by a tornado as devastating storms ripped across the central US last weekend. On the right, the Rackley family poses for a picture while on a trip to Sedona, Arizona. An extended Missouri family is grieving, after a tornado ripped through their home this weekend, claiming a young life and changed the lives of the survivors forever. But whatever happens we know that God's will will be done," Hooker added. Get ready.' 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.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Hooker said that Annistyn Rackleys family hadnt yet unpacked from their move Dec. 4 from Caruthersville to their new home along Highway J, just west of the city. In Pemiscot County in southeastern Missouri, bordering Arkansas and Kentucky, where the Rackleys live, the sheriff's office did not immediately return telephone messages Monday seeking comment about the storm that destroyed the Rackleys' home. 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