Woman recalls horrifying moment tornado hit home: 'I thought I was going to die'

A Virginia Beach woman says she was saved "by the grace of God" after surviving a horrific tornado that ripped apart her home Friday evening while she was still inside.

Jennifer Mingo says she was in her bedroom when the twister hit and hid behind a recliner once her windows shattered.

She says she clung to the chair as she watched the tornado strip away the sides of her house.

See photos from the horrific story:

"The next thing I know the whole side of the room went out and the TV went, the nightstand went, the dresser went," Mingo told WTKR. "Everything was flying out the room and I thought the chair was going to be next and I said this is my time."

Her neighbor's security camera captured footage of the entire nightmare. In the clip, her bedroom wall is seen being torn away as she ducks behind the chair.

Somehow, Mingo says she and her family emerged from the tragedy unscathed.

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Though Mingo's family is waiting for restoration teams to repair their home, she says they remain in high spirits.

"I told my husband he could've been worrying about the house and preparing for a funeral at the same time but I said by the grace of God it just wasn't meant to be," said Mingo.