GRINNELL, Kan. – A man says he’s lucky to be alive after his car became caught in a tornado while he was still inside.
The harrowing incident occurred on Sunday when a tornado barreled through the northwestern Kansas town of Grinnell. It was one of several tornadoes to strike the Jayhawk State that day.
Aden Basgall filmed the moment the Grinnell tornado struck as he sat on the passenger side of a vehicle, screaming as the twister passed by. “Goodbye, Grinnell!” he shouted at one point.
“We were stuck in town and had no escape route,” he told Storyful. “We buckled up and hoped for the best. (It) broke our back window and I started recording after it passed over us.”
In the video, powerful winds could be seen hurling debris through the air and blowing raindrops sideways.
Moments after the storm passed, images of the tornado’s destruction became clear: branches littering the ground, trees shredded of their leaves and damage to a nearby building.
“We just got saved by God,” Basgall can be heard saying off-camera, as he surveyed the damage.
The National Weather Service issued a preliminary rating of EF-2 for the tornado, though surveys are continuing.
Being caught in a tornado is a dangerous situation, especially if you are in a vehicle. In fact, NOAA recommends creating as much distance between you and your car as soon as possible, if a tornado is nearby.
However, should you find yourself inside a tornado while in your car, here are some tips on what you should do:
Learn more tips on how to stay safe while a tornado is on the ground here.
