One Port Orchard family who lost their home to a tornado says they are still in limbo on how to rebuild



PORT ORCHARD - On New Year’s Eve Aaron Crain is used to kids and neighbors playing outside his Port Orchard neighborhood but not this year.

“It feels like someone came up and slapped you,” Aaron said.

A rare EF 2 tornado ripped through his home nearly two weeks ago and Aaron says his wife and daughter are still having panic attacks.

“They have issues with wind and noises,” Aaron said.

The emotional turmoil is even harder when you don’t know how to rebuild.

“I am still in limbo on what’s going on,” Aaron said.

The family says they are waiting to hear back from their insurance company on exactly how much of their loss will be covered.

“The hardest thing is that we are reliant on someone else to put a roof over our heads,” Aaron’s wife Tawnia Crain said.

The Crain family says it’s been hard finding an affordable rental for a family of 4 in Port Orchard that also accepts pets, so they are staying with relatives for now.

“Family means everything to us,” Aaron said.

They are grateful to be together but they are still looking for one of their pets, a black cat, named Trip.

“One of our neighbors saw her the other day and almost had her so we know she is still running around,” Aaron’s daughter said.

The family says they’ve learned a lot from their loss, especially when it comes to important documents.

“It’s almost good to have double copy of certain things,” Tawnia said.

Tawnia says she’s also heartbroken over lost family photos.

“Have a family member or best friend hold a few of the photos for you. There are photos I will never get back,” Tawnia said.

A short time after Tawnia said that to Q13 News crews paid by their insurance company showed up to help salvage whatever they could. Tawnia managed to find a box full of family photos.

“They are barely damaged. They are a little bit damp,” Tawnia said.

The box contained the couple’s 25th anniversary photos and some of Tawnia’s favorite pictures of her two daughters.

The discovery brought tears of joy, a burst of happiness during the hardest time of their lives.

The Crain family says they would like to rebuild their home but worry it will be a very long process that could possibly take up to a year and half.