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CNN Live Today

Talk With La Plata, Maryland Tornado Survivor Joe Aqua

Aired April 29, 2002 - 10:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want show you these pictures we're getting in, these aerial pictures, from La Plata, Maryland. Many people across the country experienced severe weather Sunday evening into Sunday night, but nowhere was hit worse than La Plata, Maryland, which is just south of Washington D.C. At least three people were killed, and many other people were hurt. Devastation from these tornadoes that touched down in south Maryland of all places.

Joe Aqua is on the phone with us right now. He is -- oh, he is with us live. There you are.

Joe, you are with us live from La Plata. I understand you were driving through La Plata when these tornadoes touched down. What, you were in your car?

JOE AQUA, SURVIVED TORNADO: What happened was we were towing a camper trailer. We were -- we had a Maryland -- we were having a campout at West Moreland State Park. The campout was over. We were heading north to get home. We were running very late, and we decided to stop off at the True Value hardware store. There's a big lot where we could pull into, and exercise, and get everybody ready for the next leg of our trip. My older daughter said, hey, look, there's smoke, there's a fire, and I looked down, and there was a funnel cloud.

KAGAN: So it wasn't smoke or fire, that was really a funnel cloud she was seeing?

AQUA: Oh, yes. There's no question about that. What happened was we -- I screamed everybody into the van. We tried to go as fast as we could down away from it. We couldn't outrun it. We pulled into a side road, and as I was pulling into it, something hit our windshield. I couldn't move anymore. My wife who is from Kentucky, she said everybody out and go to cover, and she pulled the baby out -- on the side of a stoop off of a building right nearby and hovered over our -- Ashley, our 4-year-old.

My older daughter and I, for whatever reason, we stayed in the van. By the way, I couldn't get my seat belt on. I was terrified. And the thing went right by. Things were smashing in. I didn't know what to do. Debris got into my eyes. My older daughter turned out -- the one that was with me, Torre (ph). She had elbow, a little bit of an elbow injury, and my younger daughter was on the ground underneath her mom. She was OK, but my wife had a lot of lacerations on her face and other parts. KAGAN: And what about the baby?

AQUA: She's fine. She was protected by her mom.

KAGAN: So some cuts and bruises, but pretty much the Aqua family is doing well today. That's the good news.

AQUA: Well, she does have quite a few lacerations. It's going to take to heal. It's a bit scary.

KAGAN: She's gotten her medical treatment?

AQUA: Well, first of all, when Torre and I left the van, we didn't know where Catherine and Anne Marie were, and I screamed out, "Where are you?," and then just came out of some of the debris and we found her. We got together...

KAGAN: Joe, one thing -- just one thing I'm wondering. Some other folks I talked to said there was a lot of warning out there, but I guess if you were at this campout, and maybe with all the kids in the van, you weren't listening to local news, you had no idea this was coming?

AQUA: Sure. We were listening to CDs. And really it doesn't look like -- my wife was familiar with tornado weather, and it didn't look like tornado weather. Although she did see these -- what she calls fingers, which is associated with it, but she just didn't react to it. As soon as the funnel cloud appeared, we -- it was obvious, we had to get out of there. The True Value hardware store is demolished by the way.

KAGAN: You were that close to the destruction.

AQUA: Sure. And a good samaritan helped my wife, and they were heading toward the hospital. She ended up in a triage area, eventually to the hospital, and from the hospital, we medevaced her to Medstar, Washington Hospital Center.

KAGAN: The family is all together. Everyone is together and accounted for and is going to be OK.

AQUA: I'm sure. Believe me it's the best scenario.

KAGAN: Absolutely. How did the van and the trailer do?

AQUA: Pretty awful. I can't tell. The trailer not too bad, but the van has broken glass, paint damage, but the drivetrain is fine. So we'll let the insurance companies deal with that.

KAGAN: All right. Well, Joe Aqua, thank you for sharing the terrifying story of what your family went through with the tornado that touched down in La Plata. Bottom line, we're glad that your family is together and is going to be OK. As we say, thanks.

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