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Afun family getaway turned frightening for HGTV stars Jenny and Dave Marrs as they hid with their five kids — and four beloved animals — in a “tiny closet” as violent storms ripped through Northwest Arkansas overnight on May 26, 2024.
The “Fixer to Fabulous” stars were vacationing with their children at a cabin in Rogers, which FOX Weather reported was one of the hardest-hit areas and The Weather Channel called “unrecognizable” after the storms.
Though the night was so scary that their son Luke, who’s almost five, threw up twice, Jenny posted on Instagram in the morning that they were feeling grateful they’d survived and had received reports that their farmhouse — located about 10 miles away in Bentonville — was in decent shape.
“We woke up, groggy, and walked outside in a daze,” she wrote after getting a little sleep. “We are safe. Our animals are safe. Our friends and family are safe. Our home is safe. That’s all that matters right now.”
The cabin was spared major damage, but videos that Jenny posted in the morning showed that trees fell within feet of the structure and on top of Dave’s car. With her vehicle parked at a local marina and roads barricaded by trees and downed power lines, they spent hours “trying to figure out how to get home,” she shared.
Even Rogers mayor Greg Hines told Fox Weather that he was trapped in his home without power, reporting that “trees are across the road, wrapped up, entangled in power lines.”
Eventually, Jenny shared in her Instagram stories, the entire Marrs family was taken by boat to her vehicle, which was found safe, and they were able to get back home. Though they found extensive damage on their land, Jenny shared that their home and businesses — a berry farm and inn — “miraculously” made it through without too much structural damage.
Jenny Marrs Says the ‘Widespread Damage Is Devastating for Our Town’
Hours before the tornadoes hit, Jenny had shared videos in her Instagram Stories of their family water skiing and enjoying the sunshine during their cabin getaway. But by the middle of the night, she was sharing harrowing details and photos of how their family huddled together, praying for safety in the middle of the night.
“At 2 am, we sat in a tiny closet with seven people, two dogs, a bearded dragon and a lamb and prayed aloud while the storm passed through,” Jenny wrote in her post. “Poor Lukey was terrified and vomited twice out of fear. Sylvie soothed Tommy the lamb in her arms, Charlotte shivered and nestled into the crook of my arm and the big boys kept reassuring their siblings it would be ok. They were all so brave.”
An hour later, after the storms had passed, Jenny said they sat as a family around a table, illuminated by candlelight, and “counted our blessings.”
“So many neighbors have damage to their homes and businesses,” she continued. “We have been getting updates all morning and the widespread damage is devastating for our town.”
When a fan asked in the comment section whether the Marrs’ farm animals were okay back at home, Jenny replied, “they are! Our neighbor has been at the house since early am checking on them along with our farm and house sitter. They’re all safe 🙌🙏”
When another person suggested that “it’s time to build a storm shelter, Dave,” Jenny replied, “we have one at home but we’re staying at a cabin by the lake for Memorial Day weekend 😓”
Driving home from Rogers, Jenny shared photos of downed trees, the “terrifying” sight of flipped-over RVs, and the demolished buildings downtown, calling it all “unbelievable.”
Dave & Jenny Marrs Have Huge Amount of Cleanup Ahead of Them After Arkansas Tornadoes
Finally back at home, the Marrs were relieved to find their farmhouse intact, but extensive damage to the trees on their land. In her Instagram stories, she posted a photo of their family in front of one of the toppled trees, where the root ball that was torn from the ground was taller than everyone. She also posted video of their kids assessing discovering all of their large peach trees were destroyed, adding a broken-heart emoji over it.
The Marrs also assessed the situation at their Welcome Inn, located in Rogers and operated as an Airbnb property. They found that it avoided major structural damage, but large fallen trees and winds broke windows, blew through a door, and left the grounds in total disarray.
“The grounds are a mess but it’s an absolute miracle that @thewelcomeinn_rogers is safe,” Jenny wrote over a photo of the inn’s front door.
The Marrs also ran over to their berry farm, where they were relieved to find some of their crop still intact, they posted on the farm’s Instagram account.
“It’s a miracle that we still have a good amount of berries after last night’s tornado that came through town,” Jenny said over a video of her kids looking over crop, which they’ve been caring for to prepare for their annual BerryFest on June 22.
With a great deal of cleanup ahead of them, Jenny posted a screenshot in the late afternoon of a new weather warning on her phone, as the U.S. National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the area, effective until 9 p.m. Eastern time. Over the screenshot, she simply typed, “Nooooo!!!!!!!!!!!”
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