Among the destruction in Oklahoma over the weekend, one couple stepped out to find a big wooden beam penetrating their car’s front windshield.
When Roger and Debbie Mandrell awoke to a heavy storm pelting their home with debris, they sought cover.
A tornado passed over their neighborhood. When it passed, they thought the worst was over, only to step outside and see the devastation.
“Scary, it was scary, and we weren’t expecting it,” Roger Mandrell said.
The Mandrells experienced a horrific moment when a tornado ripped through their south Oklahoma City neighborhood, destroying everything in its path.
“My phone went off, tornado warning,” Debbie Mandrell said. “I jumped up out of bed and our house was shaking and you could hear stuff hitting the house. I woke him up, I said, we’re in a tornado, we’re in a tornado. I just started praying.”
The couple dug down for what they claimed was the longest 45 seconds of their lives.
When it passed, they were concerned about the damage it had caused, but they never anticipated to see a 20-foot beam through their car’s windshield.
“I was like, wow, I’m glad no one was in it,” Debbie said. “That’s what I thought.
Their RV experienced a similar fate.
“It was scary, very, very scary,” Debbie said.
They removed the beam from the car, and while we were there, a tow truck arrived and picked up the immobile vehicle.
“It was one of those those hard moments, you know,” Roger recapped.
While they are heartbroken that they have lost their car, they are grateful that they are safe.
“That can be replaced,” Roger said. That’s material stuff, because this girl here and her brother, everybody’s safe, so, yeah, we’re good.”
The couple thinks insurance will cover the majority of the damage.