Prayer vigil held in Jacksboro as clean up continues from EF-3 tornado

In the heart of downtown Jacksboro, a community is still healing. Sunday afternoon, church leaders prayed as families move forward.

JACKSOBORO, Texas - In the heart of downtown Jacksboro, a community is still healing.

Sunday afternoon, church leaders prayed as families move forward.

"We don’t know the next steps of where we are going to be," said Samantha Parson, whose home was destroyed by last week’s tornado.

Monday will mark one week since an EF-3 tornado tore through town.

In its path, neighborhoods and two Jacksboro schools with hundreds of students and staff huddled inside.

Homes were left leveled, forcing hundreds, like Parson, to now find shelter.

She and her husband left their trailer and jumped in the car minutes before the tornado touched down.

"It was minutes, it was literally minutes between life and death," Parson said.

Harva Kuykendall is also counting her blessings.

"I am very lucky," she said.

She’s living out of a hotel while crews clean her street.

Kuykendall’s home is still without power, but thankfully, she will not have to re-build from the ground up.

"There were so many angels among us that God sent to protect us that there are no words to describe the goodness we have seen here," she added.

Those in a neighborhood off 380 in Jacksboro have worked six days straight, clearing a sea of debris.

The homes are among the 90 homes damaged from this tornado, according to Jacksboro police.

Monday afternoon, FEMA will be on the ground surveying the damage.

"They are working like ants to get this cleaned," Jacksboro Police Chief Scott Haynes said.

Haynes stood outside the damaged high school Sunday, where winds up to 150 miles per hour ripped the roof off.

Monday morning, teachers will be back in the building for a work day, as cranes continue to work on the gymnasium.

Tuesday, students will return.

"Morale is high. No one has been injured, people are working," he added.

A true testament of the strength in Jacksboro, a community Parson says will stay united.

"I am so thankful to be in this place at this time," she said. "I can’t imagine any other place."