A WOMAN whose home was destroyed by a freak tornado told how a lottery win turned her life around.

       Tammy Gordy, 56, and husband Steve were devastated when a twister ripped through their old home 22 years ago.

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       Tammy was shell shocked when she learned she'd won Credit: Newsflash 3

       The killer tornado ripped through their home in 2001 Credit: AP:Associated Press

       The terrifying F2-level tornado killed two as it tore through their former community in the city of Agency, Iowa.

       Now the amazed couple are able to build a new home after years of struggling thanks to the whopping ￡1.5million jackpot.

       Tammy realised she had won big after checking her tickets a day after she bought them at a Hy-Vee grocery store.

       She was dumbfounded when one of her Powerball tickets scooped the gigantic prize on July 24.

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       Tammy said: "I fell into my chair. I couldn't see! There were all those zeroes! I was like, 'Maybe I need my glasses.' So yeah, we screamed."

       Steve added: "She jumped up and was saying… well, not English, but other words I couldn't understand.

       "And then I looked over and there were a lot of zeroes. Then we didn't know what it was until we got our senses back."

       Health worker Tammy shared how she's going to spend her enormous win.

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       She explained: "We were in the process of building a home and it kind of got put on hold for a few years, so now this is going to speed it up.

       "And it's going to go into better details! I'm talking a walk-in closet and a Jacuzzi tub! That's what I'm talking about!

       "We've never been material people, I can say that. Family was more important to us.

       "So, it's going to be that way. We're just going to be able to do more things."

       Tammy said she had to call her boss to ask for some time off from work to collect the prize.

       She said: "I called my boss and told him that I needed to take Monday and Tuesday off because I won the Powerball.

       "And so he says, 'Well, congratulations, if you're not April Foolin' me!'"

       The lucky woman added that she and her husband had a difficult time convincing their four adult children and other family members they had won.

       She said: "I am a jokester, but not to that extent."

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       The gas station where Tammy bought her ticket will be awarded ￡1,500 Credit: Newsflash