A mother of two young children says that it’s only “by the grace of God” that both babies are alive after a tornado destroyed their trailer home and tore her baby from its bassinet.

Sydney Moore of Clarksville, Tenn., says that on Dec. 9 she had just moments to jump on top of her one-year-old son on the floor, while her four-month-old baby slept in a bassinet, as a tornado tore the roof of her home off. Her boyfriend, and father of the infant, attempted to grab the bassinet as the tornado lifted it into the air.

“He was just holding on to the bassinet the whole time, and they went into circles, he said, and then they got thrown,” Moore said to the Associated Press. Her boyfriend ended up suffering a broken arm and shoulder.

But, even worse, once the tornado had passed, the mom and dad could not find the baby.

“I was pretty sure he was dead and we weren’t going to find him,” Moore said to local television stations while choking back tears. “But he’s here, and that’s by the grace of God.”

The parents and emergency personnel found the boy in a downed tree, Moore describing where they found him like “a cradle made out of branches.”

The baby had no injuries except for a small cut on his forehead.

The family suffered not only the loss of their home and all the belongings inside, but trees also crushed their car which they did not have insurance on. 

Caitlyn Moore of Maysville, Ky., who is Sydney’s sister, started a GoFundMe effort for the family last week, which has exceeded its fundraising goal. 

The Associated Press reports that three people were killed in Clarksville and another three in Nashville by a large storm that produced tornadoes in the region. Several churches in the region, including Red River Assembly of God in Springfield, are in the midst of rebuilding and recovery efforts. 

Josh Shepherd contributed to this article, which was originally published at CHVN.

Journalist Colleen Houde is a news writer and on-air host at CHVN in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.