Jim Stasell Recalls Surviving a Tornado Weeks After Having an Aneurysm
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Jim Stasell had an aneurysm on July 5, 1990 and spent the next month and a half recovering and learning how to walk again. On August 28, a tornado struck, prompting him to leap into action to save his family's life, The Plainfield Sun reports.
Stasell had just returned to his home for a nap after spending the day walking around his neighborhood to help with his recovery. He was awakened by banging noises on the side of his home. He said he thought it was his son throwing rocks, but when he looked outside he was it was hail.
All of a sudden, he heard a loud roar and saw the shingles from his roof fly by him.
"I yelled for the kids to stay put in the bedroom and my wife and I hit the deck in the kitchen," he told the news source. "Then somebody's really nice galvanized chimney came through the back door."
Stasell's family survived the traumatic event. The family rebuilt their home on the same property and have moved on from the anxiety experienced as a result of surviving a tornado.
According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), on average more than 1,000 tornadoes hit the United States each year, with around 77 percent of them being considered weak. Most tornadoes occur during the afternoon or evening hours, but they can strike at any time.
There were 169 tornadoes reported in the month of July this year, with at least one tornado being reported on 26 of the 31 days of the month.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it is best to have a pre-planned exercise as to what to do if a tornado strikes. The agency recommends not staying in motor vehicles, and to hide in a basement, storm cellar or closet. Do not stay near windows or doors. If stuck outside when a tornado strikes, lie flat on the ground in a ditch and cover your head.
Stasell had just returned to his home for a nap after spending the day walking around his neighborhood to help with his recovery. He was awakened by banging noises on the side of his home. He said he thought it was his son throwing rocks, but when he looked outside he was it was hail.
All of a sudden, he heard a loud roar and saw the shingles from his roof fly by him.
"I yelled for the kids to stay put in the bedroom and my wife and I hit the deck in the kitchen," he told the news source. "Then somebody's really nice galvanized chimney came through the back door."
Stasell's family survived the traumatic event. The family rebuilt their home on the same property and have moved on from the anxiety experienced as a result of surviving a tornado.
According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), on average more than 1,000 tornadoes hit the United States each year, with around 77 percent of them being considered weak. Most tornadoes occur during the afternoon or evening hours, but they can strike at any time.
There were 169 tornadoes reported in the month of July this year, with at least one tornado being reported on 26 of the 31 days of the month.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), it is best to have a pre-planned exercise as to what to do if a tornado strikes. The agency recommends not staying in motor vehicles, and to hide in a basement, storm cellar or closet. Do not stay near windows or doors. If stuck outside when a tornado strikes, lie flat on the ground in a ditch and cover your head.
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