Javaris Billingsly knows all too well that when you take cover from a storm, you're only as safe as the building is strong.
"With the wind, we actually felt the house shifting from side to side," said Billingsly.
His house took a beating, but it was left standing. But that wasn't the case for every home. That means not everyone lived to tell their story.
"Once you lose the roof, you begin to lose the walls and that's when loss of life occurs," said John Van de Lindt, and engineer with the University of Alabama.
Which is why building safety professionals gathered for a day-long tornado symposium to discuss the lesson they've learned from the storms.
"We have a long way to go in terms of building buildings that are more survivable and perhaps educating our communities about the needs of storm shelters," said Dominic Sims, CEO of the International Code Council.
He says building professionals will pay more attention to details of elements that hold buildings together.
"They'll take that information and they'll incorporate it into the work they do, whether it's the design of new buildings, wether it is the development of new building codes," said Sims.
Their ultimate goal is saving people like Billingsly, and the family he was praying for as he took cover.
"Is my momma and them alright, is my grandma alright? Because my grandma stays right around the corner on the next road," said Billingsly.
Van de Lindt said "I hope the residents will see that the design and code community is taking this very seriously."
Something that Billingsly says gives him peace of mind.
The information shared at the symposium will play a valuable role in the next cycle of codes and standards updates.
