VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — It’s said that time heals all, but after two years, the memories of the powerful Virginia Beach twister are still fresh in the mind of residents in the Haversham Close neighborhood.

‘When I saw my home destroyed, my husband was behind me and he said ‘Nancy, we’re alive, we’re alive,’” Nancy Gonzalez said, recalling the moments she and her husband narrowly escaped the crushing winds of a rare EF-3 tornado as the two quickly scrambled from the second floor to a first floor bathroom.

A resident of Virginia Beach for 30 years, it took 28 of those to experience the unthinkable.

“Never in my wildest dreams,” Gonzalez said. “It changed everything.”

On that Sunday, April 30, 2023, the tornado developed along the eastern branch of the Lynnhaven River at 5:48 p.m. It eventually crossed Great Neck Road and slammed the Haversham Close neighborhood. 

The damage was conducive to an EF-3, with estimated winds of 145 mph.

From there, the twister trekked over Broad Bay and cruised through First Landing State Park before drifting offshore around 5:53 p.m. In total, the tornado lasted all of five minutes over the four-and-a-half mile path.

It’s a rare type of weather event for Hampton Roads, but this area is no stranger to severe weather or tornadic activity. Recall the EF-0 tornado that blew through a Perquimans County neighborhood earlier in March, causing significant structural damage.

When it comes to tornadoes, there never seems to be enough time.

“So as we go into the next couple of weeks, as temperatures continue to rise and we still have access to that cold air from the north, things like this can happen, so we have to take those warnings seriously,” said Chief Meteorologist Jeff Edmondson.

After two years, time may not have healed all memories, but moving forward with gratitude just might.

“I believe there was a purpose that maybe we don’t understand,” Gonzalez said. “But there’s got to be a purpose, and it’s a good purpose.”