Published: March 28, 2009 10:51 pm      

Hall family counts their blessings

from staff reports



Life changed for Willie Ann and Henry Hall at 2:15 a.m. Thursday.

Their doublewide mobile home, located on County Road 2414 in the Garlandville community near the Newton-Jasper County line was hit by two large oak trees during storms that moved through the area.

Their neighbors, Juliet and Glenn Bramlett, had their modular home moved about 15 feet away from their front steps.

"I had been hearing roaring noises that night, but not bad enough to worry, then I heard whistling sounds and yelled to my wife to get into the tub," Henry said.

Willie Ann grabbed their son, Henry Jr., 11, and Destin Singleton, a 2-year-old she was baby sitting, put them in the bath tub and laid on top of them with a mattress covering the tub.

"I laid on the floor under a futon," Henry said.

That's when it hit.

"I was doing some kinda praying, that's for sure," Willie Ann said. "I had thought the wind had picked up my truck and thrown it into our house, the noise was so loud."

When the storm was over, the only way out of the house was through windows.

"I went up the hill to check on my neighbors and found Juliet Bramlett trapped and helped unwedge her foot from under a wall and later her in-laws arrived and took her to the hospital," Henry said.

The only injuries others had were scrapes and cuts, Willie Ann said.

"We are all okay 'cause I got my family and can't complain," Henry said.