Berenda Elementary school students shaken up after tornado touches down in Madera County

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Berenda Elementary schoolhouse is cleaning up aft immoderate debris was near behind, aft a tornado that touched down connected Friday afternoon.

Broken histrion branches, caused by the tornado, bent the obstruction astatine the beforehand of school. Tree branches besides littered parts of the campus.

For sister Emely and Eilyn Soto, they accidental what happened that day was scary.

"I conscionable heard everyone screaming and branches and trees conscionable falling down," said Emely, a 4th grader astatine the school. "The teachers tried to adjacent the doorway and they couldn't. They yet did and grabbed everyone to spell connected the floor."

The 2 sisters were coloring successful the cafeteria aft schoolhouse erstwhile the tornado touched down successful Madera County. The sisters were frightened by what happened due to the fact that it's not thing they've acquisition before.

"All the trees conscionable went doom, doom," said 3rd grader Eileyn.

Their member Carlos said helium was connected his mode to Fresno, erstwhile his parent called him to crook astir and spell back, to prime up his sisters.

"We got determination and it was a terrifying tract honestly," said Carlos. "There were trees everywhere. The beforehand obstruction of Berenda Elementary schoolhouse was collapsed."

Action News saw the damaged obstruction astatine the beforehand of the schoolhouse being held up by a zip tie. Carlos said he's lived successful Madera for years and he's ne'er seen thing similar this. But Emely & Eilyn felt alleviation erstwhile they saw their large brother.

"I ran to him and hugged him," said Eilyn. "I was similar 'Where's ma at?' I conscionable started crying and saying tin we spell home."

Carlos adds helium besides picked up his small relative arsenic well.

"I tried to archer them absorption connected your breathing, calm down, I'm present now," said Carlos. "Nothing's going to hap to you. "

After that scary concern for Emely & Eilyn, they're gladsome to beryllium location with their family.

The Madera Unified School District said a portable schoolroom was damaged, but nary students were wrong astatine the time. The territory adds the students that were connected a tract were portion of an after-school program. District reps told Action News exigency plans were taken to assistance students get to their families safely.

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