‘I felt almost weightless’: Tornado lifts home off the ground with man, dog inside

Andy Cordan
·2 min read

CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Saturday’s tornado outbreak raced through the Dry Creek Road Community in Cheatham County. Many houses were destroyed and some people were trapped.

By the time first responders got there, it was pitch black and the road was impassable covered with trees and power lines.

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But that didn’t stop Cheatham deputies and Pegram firefighters who walked more than half a mile over trees and power lines looking for trapped citizens.

“We are doing what we do. This is our job, to help people, to keep everyone safe in this unfortunate time,” said Chief Deputy Walter Bammam.

Armed only with flashlights, they trudged through the wet darkness and finally found the tornado victim who had managed to get out of his own destroyed home.

MORE: Deadly tornadoes rip through Middle Tennessee

Bryson Wencel, 19, told News 2 that he came back to get his dog and the storm started to build in intensity, so he hunkered down. “As soon as I got here the storm started picking up. I was on the phone with [my girlfriend] and the phone cut out. Ten seconds later I feel my house lift up and move 10 feet. I could see outside, my front wall had collapsed in.”

Wencel’s girlfriend, Abigail Baxter, said she thought he was dead. “All I heard was screaming a tornado and the line went dead and I thought he was gone.”

Wencel added, “I didn’t know if I would live or die, I had no idea.”

Inside the storm-ravaged home, Wencel said he began to float. “It was almost like zero gravity, believe it or not, because when the house went up I felt almost weightless, and when it came back down, I felt [like a roller coaster].”

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Wencel and his dog made it through the storm without a scratch, but said he lost everything and has no insurance. He added though, thanks to friends and family, he will make it through.

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