CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In 2002, Eduardo Lerma was a CCISD Police officer assigned to Robert Driscoll Middle School.
And while his training prepared him for most situations, nothing could have prepared him for what happened on Oct. 24 of that year.
“The doors blew open,” he said. “I and some other staff members ran to grab the doors. As we started pulling the doors back to close them, I literally came off the ground."
In 2002, a thunderstorm gave way to three tornadoes, leaving a wake of destruction that many on Corpus Christi’s West Side, including Lerma, will never forget.
“The storm kind of formed from a mini supercell,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Nicholas Price.
He showed 3NEWS the storm’s path, which left one person dead and 26 injured.
As the storm dumped rain on Corpus Christi, a tornado developed near the Corpus Christi International Airport at 1:28 p.m.
The second tornado, which was a reported 100-200 yards wide and would eventually be rated an F2, formed at 1:32 p.m.
It made its way toward what was then known as the Del Mar College West Campus, where James “Buster” Gillis made the ultimate sacrifice while saving his students.
Today, a plaque commemorating his actions hangs on the wall alongside his picture on the campus’ Barth Learning Resources Center.
Down the street at another nearby school, more educators would be prepared to do the same, and on Tuesday they came together to remember that day at Driscoll.
"It’s one scary day I will never forget," said educator Regina Pena.
A third tornado formed south of Driscoll Middle School at 1:40 p.m., as the second half of CCISD’s school day was underway.
"I happened to be in the lounge,” said Vernon Berckmoes. “I was making my lunch. My ears (popped)."
Driscoll teacher Cheryl Wright said when she first heard rumbling during her off-period in her classroom, she thought it was typical teenage hijinks.
“I said ‘What are those sixth graders doing upstairs?’ It sounded like a freight train," she said.
But whereas trains are common in South Texas, this was not.
"I see this huge black spinning thing,” said Delores Soliz. “(I thought) that does not look good."
"The door blew open,” said teacher Kay Bircher. “The art teacher said, ‘Oh what is that? She said, ‘Oh my God, it’s a tornado."
According to information published by the National Weather Services for the event’s 10-year anniversary, the 2002 tornadoes occurred in “an area of the country where significant tornadoes are extremely uncommon.”
But Lerma and his co-workers had little time to process the unusual circumstances.
Their primary concern, they said, keeping the kids safe.
“Students were screaming and teachers were trying to corral them all into one place," Wright said.
For Lerma, that meant risking his own safety to help rescue a toddler from a car outside the school. It was then that he was able to feel what he called the "unexpected velocity of the storm."
His heroic actions earned him a commendation for bravery.
The storm is commemorated at the National Weather Service – Corpus Christi, where the halls are lined with pictures and facts of memorable weather events.
The 2002 tornado is one of them.
With damage estimated to have cost over $85 million and a loss of life that can’t be quantified, those who lived through it and escaped injury know how fortunate they were.
And that tragedy brought those who survived closer together.
"It was just some scary day,” said Ken Heslip. “Most of all, everyone was safe."