Tornado's fury carries Missouri couple's wedding photos over 100 miles from home

Tornado destroys newlywed couple's home in Harviell, Missouri

An EF-2 tornado, originating in Arkansas, tore through Ripley and Butler counties in Missouri through the night on March 14, packing peak winds of 132 mph. It decimated the home of Trendall and Darby Russom in Harviell.

HARVIELL, Mo. – Amidst the wreckage of their tornado-leveled home, a Missouri couple is clinging to a bittersweet discovery carried miles and miles away by the fury of nature.

The powerful severe storm system that swept through the mid-Mississippi Valley from late March 14 into the early hours of the next day spawned multiple tornadoes, destructive winds and isolated large hail. 

The National Weather Service confirmed 13 tornadoes, including six powerful EF-3s, which tragically resulted in seven deaths and 12 injuries. 

"I could feel it. I could feel the whole house shaking."

— Darby Russom

One particularly impactful EF-2 tornado, originating in Arkansas, tore through Ripley and Butler counties in Missouri through the night, packing peak winds of 132 mph. It decimated the home of newlyweds Trendall and Darby Russom in Harviell.

WATCH: TORNADO LASHES TRUCK AS MEN RIDE OUT STORM AT ROLLA, MISSOURI GAS STATION

A Missouri couple's home was destroyed by a powerful tornado, but amidst the devastation, pages from their wedding album were discovered over 100 miles away.

(Darby Russom)

'I could feel it’

Trendall Russom, a lineman for Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, was on call while his wife was home alone, watching the news as Tornado Warnings of the approaching storm intensified.

"They said that there was a tornado on the ground heading toward Fairdealing, and we were really like a minute (away)," Darby Russom told FOX Weather.

In a desperate race against time, she bolted outside and snatched up their terrified dog. They plunged into their basement, seeking refuge beneath the shelter of the stairwell. Russom clutched her phone, a lifeline to her husband amidst the chaos of destruction erupting above her.

"I could feel it," she recalled of the monstrous roar and violent shuddering of the twister. "I could feel the whole house shaking."

DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APP

Adding to her terror, the basement began to fill with wind and dust. Then, the power went out, plunging her into darkness as the raging storm tore through their home.

The following morning revealed the full extent of the destruction. Insurance adjusters deemed their home a total loss.

"It ripped off our roof completely, took everything that was in our attic," Russom explained.

Their two-story shed was obliterated, and their carport lay crushed. But amidst their landscape of loss, a fragile glimmer of the past surfaced more than 100 miles away. 

PURINA FARMS IN MISSOURI HIT, DAMAGED BY EF-2 TORNADO

A bittersweet keepsake

Pages ripped from their cherished wedding album, memories once safely tucked away in the attic, were found strewn across a yard in Perryville, located about a two-hour drive north.

The waterlogged and torn images were found here by the owners of Hemman Winery, who subsequently posted them to Facebook in an effort to identify the rightful owners.

"I never expected to ever find anything that we lost, and seeing how far it went was really amazing," Russom said.

TORNADOES LEAVE PARTS OF MISSOURI IN RUINS

The couple's wedding memories were scattered across mid-Missouri following the tornado.

(Darby Russom via Hemman Winery)

Adding to her astonishment, another page of their wedding photos was found in Marble Hill, a town roughly halfway between their home and Perryville.

The couple married in November 2023, and their wedding day in Willow Springs was a perfect memory.

"It was outside in November, and it was actually a beautiful day," Russom said. "It felt amazing."

VIOLENT TORNADOES LEAVE 3 DEAD IN MISSOURI

Trendall and Darby Russom married in November 2023.

(Darby Russom)

However, the thought of those precious moments being lost in the storm was particularly painful. While insurance will cover the cost of reordering their wedding album, the original photos hold a unique sentimental value. 

"I had a box of stuff from our wedding. So like my wedding veil, my bouquet our vow books," Russom said. "Those are the things that can't be replaced."

Despite losing their home and belongings, the Russoms are safe and appreciative of the community's support, acknowledging others' greater losses.

Now, as they face a long rebuilding process, they are left with a few wedding memories intertwined with a story of harrowing survival.