Last Friday afternoon, Roger Slatten got a call from a friend letting him know a tornado was spotted near his home in Elkhorn, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. He rushed to the house, where he lived with his brother, Royce.
Roger yelled to his brother to grab their dogs and head to the basement.
The brothers were on the stairs trying to find one of their dogs when winds of at least 136 miles per hour slammed into their house. âWe could feel the floor separate from the foundation,â Roger says. âAs soon as the wind got under it, it just vaporized the upper end of the house".
The brothers locked eyes briefly, right before the tornado sucked them up and threw them from the house. They thought it would be the last time they saw each other, fortunately that wasnât the case. Roger was pummeled with debris before hitting the ground and being pinned by rubble, while Royce landed in the backyard and was able to run to a neighborâs house. Royce ended up needing 22 stiches, while Roger suffered multiple bone bruises, and was punctured in the back by a nail. He's going to be on crutches for a few weeks.
They were relieved to find that they each survived, as did their dogs. While their home was completely destroyed and they both suffered injuries, the men are grateful.
Roger says "A lot of people have asked if itâs the scariest thing or the worst thing thatâs happened to me, but honestly, the good has somehow outweighed the bad. Iâm alive and weâre all healthy, it couldâve been so much worse.â