‘Everything is in shambles’: Workers survive direct hit from tornado at Garner Industries in Nebraska

By Alex McLoon

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    LINCOLN, Nebraska (KETV) — Workers in Lincoln survived a direct hit at the Garner Industries building.

KETV NewsWatch 7’s Alex Mcloon reported how people worked together to get them home.

“Gone. No, roof, no nothing and everything is in shambles,” said Duane Johns.

Seventy people survived a direct strike at the building just before Friday’s commute home.

“I look over and I see that buildings being all torn up by that tornado,” said Kent Thompson.

Thompson was driving by until the cloud caught him by surprise.

“It picked me up and took me over the other side and didn’t tip the car over, but it just slid it across the other side,” he said.

Some cars were thrown hundreds of yards away from the building, even a train was derailed.

A site that startled first responders who sprung into action.

“From a little ways out, you could definitely tell that had been hit,” said Chief Jared Rains with the Waverly Fire Department.

Deputies and firefighters are getting people out of the rubble.

“They went to reinforced areas, places that could be able to withstand the high winds, tornadoes, stuff like that. So yeah, it worked out well for them,” he said.

The damage and destruction made cars undrivable.

Workers were shuttled to a pop-up emergency shelter down the road where they shared their stories and thankfulness of being alive.

“It’s kind of surreal, everybody just kind of relaxing, calming down and kind of redoing everything back in their heads all over again,” said Steve Fankhauser.

“It was like a freight train coming in. About five seconds later, it was done; it just tore everything up,” said Chris Aue.

“I had a split second just to get in the bathroom when it came through,” said Justin.

“All of a sudden the building start shaking. I took off running things, flying by my head. I got in the bathroom right as the whole building collapse,” said Toby Baker.

“It dropped right on top of us,” Duane Johns said.

Sandhills Global Event Center became a place to reunite.

The Lancaster County Sheriff said everyone is accounted for from the Garner Industries building.

But Waverly’s fire chief said crews will return to the building to make sure everyone is out in case other people took shelter there.

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