Young boy gains perspective well beyond his years after tornado

Revisiting a 9-year-old tornado subsister

9-year-old who survived tornado shows however acold he's travel 1 twelvemonth later 03:09

Bartlesville, Oklahoma — A twelvemonth aft a tornado flattened his family's home, 9-year-old River Garrett isn't focused connected what was mislaid — but connected what tin inactive beryllium built.

"Rebuilding, it takes a while, it takes hard work. But to me, it's putting thing backmost unneurotic wherever it is amended than before," River said, extracurricular his grandmother's marque caller location successful bluish Oklahoma.

On May 6, 2024, a powerful tornado tore crossed the area, sidesplitting 2 radical and causing $25 cardinal successful damage. River's household survived, but their ranch was leveled.

Tornado activity similar what River lived done has importantly increased. In the archetypal 4 months of 2025, determination were 670 tornado reports and 35 deaths successful the U.S. — much than a 43% leap successful storms compared to the decennary before, according to the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.

River's household is inactive sorting done the bits and pieces they were capable to recover, but they see themselves lucky. In Barnsdall, the adjacent municipality over, Mayor Johnny Kelley said lone 5% of his assemblage has been rebuilt since the past clip CBS News visited.

But River, though conscionable 8 astatine the time, seemed to recognize the world that others had it worse disconnected than him.

"And I said to myself that I can't marque this astir me," River told CBS News backmost then.

One twelvemonth later, River has a caller country and immoderate aged things that survived the tornado. He hopes to screen the walls with Michael Jackson pictures and records.

"I emotion my room, too. I was blown distant erstwhile I saw my room, and I emotion it," River said.

When asked however he's changed since the tornado, River said, "I deliberation I'm much alert of small things that tin crook into large things. But I don't ever interest astir that."

"I don't sweat unless it gets bigger implicit time, similar the tornado did," helium added.

It's a reminder that adjacent aft unimaginable loss, a small position tin assistance you heal.

In:
• Oklahoma
• Tornado