While there are numerous horrific stories of how this week’s weather has devastated the south, including it impacting numerous Firefighters and departments, this story is absolutely amazing.
While responding on a run before tornado approached his community, the Fire Chief of the Shoal Creek (Alabama) VFD, was actually picked up by the tornado, flipped around several times and dropped upside down in the Coosa River! While the apparatus was upside down in the river, Fire Chief Vernon White amazingly managed to unbuckle his seat belt, get out of the truck through a broken window and swim to safety.
According to the Chief: “When I got to the end of the road, I saw the tornado coming— I turned left and tried to outrun it. I got a quarter-of-a-mile down the road and the tornado hit me. It picked my truck up, turned it around and around. “I don’t know how many times I rolled and rolled and rolled on the ground. I ended up in the river.” Chief White said the tornado picked the truck up he knows at least one time and they made a complete circle one time before being dropped in the river. Chief White estimates the tornado took him and the vehicle 100 to 150 yards before it landed in the water. “When the tornado first hit the truck, I grabbed hold of the steering wheel and laid down in the seat,” White said. “The force of the wind blew all of the windows out of the truck. I remember being upside down in the water. I had to hold my breath maybe 30 to 45 seconds as I unbuckled my seatbelt and went out the driver’s side window to get out of and swim to safety.” The only injury White sustained was a black eye and he did say he was real sore after all the tumbling.
“I am thankful to God I survived,” he said.
TORNADO VIDEO REPORTS:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TornadoVideosdotnet?blend=1&ob=5 (TornadoVideos.Net-AMAZING VIDEO)
Our thoughts and prayers to the many TSL members who have checked in to let us know they are ok but are also involved in the recovery efforts-some being Firefighters who have lost much of their own.
