| Diocesan News

At 4:12 a.m., the Sacred Heart parishioner he heard “cyclic wind reported in New Smyrna Beach” in Volusia County. Lightning was more intense than he had ever seen before; it was so bright yet the thunder sounded far away. He put on his shoes and raced to the room of his 14-year-old daughter, Gretchen.

“I’m in the bathroom, Dad,” she yelled, from the place she had been taught go if a tornado hit. It was only seconds after he covered her with his body that the “sound of the freight train” roared over them, Krantz said. The 30 seconds of terror - of ear-splitting noise, vibration and objects crashing ended as quickly as it came. A deafening silence and calm remained.

“I knew God was carrying me,” Krantz said.

Joe and Gretchen Krantz did not know at the time that the powerful storm that spawned the tornado that hit their New Smyrna Beach home had generated two others, killing 20 people in the Lake County communities of Paisley and Lady Lake. The three tornados that morning damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings in Lake, Sumter and Volusia County.

The disaster sparked a massive recovery effort by government agencies, Catholic Charities and other organizations. But at 4:30 a.m. Feb. 2 in New Smyrna Beach, neighbors were trying to figure out what happened and how they could help one another.

“I woke up and it was dark out,” Gretchen explained. “I could see tons of lightening - it was blinding light and then a half minute later there was thunder that tore through the house. This was something out of the ordinary. I could see the silhouettes of the trees, blowing violently and I could tell something was going to happen.

“I went to call my dad, but I was pulled into the bathroom. A couple of seconds later, my dad covered me and then a second later, it was exactly as everybody says - a freight train and then it was just silent, Gretchen said. “I was really, really scared. I was shaking.”

Then they heard the sounds of people screaming outside. Flashlights flickered. Neighbors were checking on one another.

“Looking at the aftermath, I almost felt like I was in a dream, but I couldn’t wake up and it would be OK,” Gretchen said.

Krantz called 911 to report the tornado. In the drenching rain that followed the tornado, neighbors had already begun the process of helping one another and restoring order. The debris had to be cleared so utility trucks could access the downed power lines.

At 9 a.m., Will Hardy, a 21-year-old former Sacred Heart classmate of Krantz’ oldest daughter, Katelyn, walked the few blocks from home with his mother, Chris. He assessed the damage and announced, “I’ve done roofing. I’ll be back.” By 10, he had returned with materials and spent the day repairing the hole in the roof where a pine limb was projecting into the dining room.

The tornado damaged an estimated 69 homes in New Smyrna Beach, but it brought out the best in the generosity of thousands who worked to bring restoration.

Father Francis Browne, a Redemptorist priest and pastor of Sacred Heart Parish visited the areas impacted early Friday morning and throughout the weekend.

“I was just amazed. Catholic Charities said to call them if we needed anything, but no one needed food or counseling or anything. I would have called them, but neighbors and parishioners helped so much they didn’t need anything. This is a wonderful tribute to the human spirit.”

Father Browne first visited the Islesboro subdivision. Five of the 11 homes on Glenwood Avenue were rendered uninhabitable. Krantz, a Sacred Heart parishioner and the emcee at the annual school fundraiser for the past three years, “Heart of an Angel,” lives in Glenwood.

“Our fundraiser is tomorrow night. Joe was supposed to emcee. He has the heart of an angel, but now this,” Father Browne said Friday.

All day Friday and Saturday an endless stream of people showed up in Hillsboro to help. The roof had been sucked off Gretchen’s bedroom; water streamed in first through the ceiling fan, vents and light fixtures, then through the ceiling, itself. A contractor who’s also a parishioner at Sacred Heart arrived to secure against further damage.

“I watched all day Friday and Saturday as people came to help,” Gretchen said, “It was really nice that on Friday Father Browne and Father John Barry, (also a Redemptorist) came by. I didn’t expect to see them, but they said a blessing over us and individually went to each house.”

Once power was restored, fans started the process of drying out the carpet against the mold and mildew already forming. People arrived to clean up inside and out. The air was saturated with the buzz of chain saws chopping branches into manageable size for carrying to the street. Broken windows were boarded until the glass could be replaced. Sheets of plywood with shingles attached were strewn like Lego blocks across the front yard and were pulled and dragged by human power to the edge of the lawn.

“It was amazing,” Gretchen explained. “People from the subdivision came to help us. We’re not really one big family - just families living in each house. We hadn’t even talked before and yet people were coming to help out.”

As police let volunteers into the subdivision, people from Krantz’s work arrived with water, Gatorade and bags of food from McDonald’s. The American Red Cross delivered pizza and sandwiches and a representative from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived. To Krantz, it seemed like every city employee had been sent to help clean up. By 9:30 p.m., Friday, power was restored to the most of the area.

By Saturday afternoon, the house was sufficiently secured that Gretchen served at the 4 p.m. Mass at Sacred Heart and her Dad donned his tuxedo and reported to his annual gig as emcee at the Heart of an Angel fundraiser.

Krantz said, “The thing I’ve learned in the last 48 hours is that there’s a lot more good people in the world than we give credit to.”

Gretchen added: “God was definitely there. He sent all these people to help us. He was there during the storm. He drew me into the bathroom. I already knew; I was loved a lot.”