Mother shields children during last week's tornadoes

VAN VLECK, Texas (KTRK) -- A mother who protected her young children during a tornado last week said she acted in an instant, becoming a "mommy shield."

The E-F1 tornado flipped over a mobile home Feb. 14, with Ashlie Ovesny and her two children, Aurea and Jace, inside.

"I just watched it and the roar started," Ashlie Ovesny said. "I slammed the door, threw my phone and grabbed the kids and the floor lifted out from underneath me. Something hit me in the back and I blacked out."

She said she woke up a few minutes later, screaming for help. She handed her two children to a neighbor through broken glass and boards.

"I don't have enough gratitude in the world for them. I don't know what I would have done," Ovesny said, "I was stuck in that hole."

The children emerged with only scratches. Ovesny was airlifted to Memorial Hermann -- Texas Medical Center. Doctors performed surgery to stabilize her spine.

Ovesny and her family are settling into a new mobile home. She must wear a neck brace.

"I would definitely do it again to keep them safe," Ovesny said.