May 27, 2008 10:10 am US/Eastern
Minnesota Residents Tell Tales Of Tornado Survival
Man Carrying 'A Few Extra Pounds' Survives By Hugging Wall
HUGO, Minn. (CBS) ―
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The tornado scraped homes off foundations, carving up structures with the ease of a knife through butter. Minnesota residents speak with CBS station WCCO-TV about the devastation.
AP
The tornado scraped homes off foundations, carving up structures with the ease of a knife through butter.
"It hard; it's home," said Dan Bruestle, a homeowner in Hugo, Minn.
Only the laundry room was spared at Bruestle's home. He, his son and girlfriend were rescued from the wreckage. The water pouring in was from the upstairs plumbing, which was sheared off.
"We were still trapped in the basement, I thought, 'It must be raining really hard,'" Bruestle said.
Victims like John Vranyes brought their tales of survival to a meeting where city and state officials laid out plans for the clean up.
"Hard to believe it's all gone, yet somehow I was spared," said Vranyes. "There was no warning. Had no idea."
Vranyes was outside on his porch when the tornado hit. He hugged a wall and is grateful he carries a few extra pounds.
"I figured if I ran for it one way I'd be dead, and if I ran for it the other way I'd be dead, so I just ran up against this one wall," said Vranyes.
While fragments of lives littered the streets, many survivors said they are grateful.
"I think if we had been home, we wouldn't have made it," said Jane Depert.
The tornado caused Depert's basement to collapse, right were she and her family would have taken shelter.
"We've cried, but you know what? We weren't home, and that's really all that matters. We were so lucky not to be home," said Depert.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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