caused death and destruction. reporter: cole, a university sophomore said the windows started to break and the house shook. he hid in a closet when the twister rolled through. for about a minute in the bathroom in the closet praying, and the house was shaking. it was pretty intense, pretty scary. it sounded like a train was going by. you couldn t hear if i was right up to your ear screaming. reporter: when he walked outside, he saw the destruction firsthand. an oak tree had split his car in half. he was able to talk to his father about 15 minutes after the tornado was gone. life is fragile. when your child is caught up in something like that, it really pulls on the heart stringss. reporter: david s friend brandon tully is a freshman. he was on campus when he saw the tornado tear a path of destruction through the university. you see people walking down the street carrying a backpack and a trash bag, and that s all they have left. the i think the best description i