Eat My Catfish employees reflect on March 31 tornado push to a bright future

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Eat my Catfish opened doors on a new restaurant in the Riverdale Shopping Center Tuesday, celebrating a new beginning while also reflecting on the past.

Among the many employees in Riverdale are about 20 who came from the Breckenridge location, which was partially destroyed during the March 31 tornado and remains closed.

"It was quick, but in the moment, it felt like a lifetime,” employee Shannon Williams said.

Williams and her co-worker Jalisia Randle sat down with crews at the new restaurant, reflecting on a moment they said they’ll never forget.

"It started pouring down raining, [and then] everybody's phones started going off with the sirens and the warnings,” Randle said.

Randle said she and some of her co-workers were outside when suddenly, they saw a tornado forming across the highway.

"Everybody just kind of took off running, screaming to the guests and [telling them] ‘Get up now, move,’” Randle said.

Employees and customers hunkered down in the back of the restaurant, riding out a storm they thought would last forever.

"You’re standing there and hearing everything come down and it seems like it’s getting closer, so you're thinking like oh my God, this is it,” Williams said.

Minutes passed and the dust settled, revealing a more horrifying reality.

“After the shock, it was like the realism of it sank in, and I was just grateful that we were all alive,” Williams said.

“I’m back in my element,” Williams said. “I’m back engaging with people, feeding people and helping people.

While memories still linger in the background, these employees say they emerge stronger than before.

"We can’t stop life, life goes on regardless so if you can just be positive in whatever moment it is,” Randle said. “Everyone needs positivity despite negativity going on.”

from KARK https://ift.tt/h7Zns9p