MISSOURI - In a conference room late last month at the SMM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Jerry and Lisa Toops told the story of how they and their three children (Tanner age 5, Tara age 3, and Tucker age 7 months) survived the dam failure at the AmerenUE Taum Salk Reservoir in Southeastern Missouri that sent more than one-billion gallons of water crashing into their home in the Missouri Johnsonville Shut-Ins State Park.
Jerry Toops described what happened in detail early that morning on Dec. 15. "I am a very sound sleeper. Lisa had taken Tucker into the living room to feed him on the couch."
Suddenly he heard his wife scream and what "sounded like a squadron of F-14s passing very close to their house." As park superintendent he was aware of the reservoir, and "I thought that it was the dam that had burst." Suddenly, as he stood up "it was like a head-on collision as the wall of water hit the house."
Jerry told how he was swept out of the house and somehow reached the rooftop where he knelt down and prayed. "I prayed that it would all be all right" and then the house crumbled beneath him. He could not find his family in the darkness and then swam toward some trees and held on for his life and then prayed again "If anyone lives, I want to be there for them."
Lisa described how she had woken up at 4 a.m. and was on the couch feeding Tucker. She heard "a loud rumbling noise like a tornado or like a train." She actually thought that it was a tornado and yelled to Jerry to get the children. Running to Tanner's room she found him standing on the bed when water started to quickly enter the room. Within ten seconds the room had filled with water and she told Tanner to take a deep breath and to say a prayer.
Tanner repeated over and over "Jesus Save Us… Jesus Save Us." With Tucker in her arms, Tanner was washed away from Lisa as the house broke apart due to the force of the water. Tanner called to her as he was swept away.
Lisa, Tucker, and Tanner found each other in the rushing water about one-quarter mile from where the house had stood. Tanner was treading water (something he had just learned the past summer in the family backyard pool) to get back to his mother.
With Tucker on one arm, Lisa placed her other arm under Tanner to keep his head out of the water. "It was a joyful sound to hear them breathing." Every now and then Tanner would stop breathing until finally help came.
Tara who was found separated from the rest of the family had miraculously survived on her own.
Tucker, Tara, and Tanner were all suffering from severe hypothermia and having difficulty breathing when they were first rescued by the Lesterville, Missouri rescue teams. Tanner's condition was the most critical of the three children. He was near cardiac arrest and required "aggressive resuscitation."
When asked how close the children were to surviving, Dr. Dennis O'Connor, the family's attending physician, stated that "at one point Tanner was close." [to dying] Tara and Tucker's conditions had always been considered "favorable."
Currently all children are doing extremely well with both Tucker and Tara already released from the hospital. Dr. O'Connor described Tanner's recovery as being an "unexpected good outcome." The children had originally been brought to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis because of the intensity of the care required.
"I am very grateful that the Lord saved us. It makes you re-evaluate what's important. It makes me feel so good now just to see the children smile," said Lisa. "Today, I received my first hug from Tanner."
When asked if they would be able to return to live and work at the Johnsonville Shut-Ins State Park, Jerry stated "I think that it would be extremely hard to do so." In fact, Jerry and Lisa had recently been in the process of moving to a new location due to a promotion which Jerry had recently received from the Missouri State Park System. Said Jerry, "I will stay with the State Park System, it's a good job. I don't do it for the money."
Originally, they had planned to start the new job at the new location on Jan. 15. This will be extended to make accommodations for the family.
"When we went back to the house to look for belongings only the foundation was left," said Lisa. "The first thing that we found was the family bible. Most important is that we are all alive and have all of our children."
Lisa and Jerry spent Christmas with their three children at the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis. Tanner is expected to make a full recovery.
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