Gaylord Councilman Vic Ouellette watched wife get 'slammed' with tornado debris

Vic Ouellette stood outside the home he was born in, a tangled mess of debris.

Ouellette is a city councilman in Gaylord, the northern Michigan town hit by a violent tornado. The storm left considerable damage in its wake, killing two people and injuring 44.

Ouellette's wife Connie Ouellette is among the dozens injured.

He said the storm came through quickly and violently. When he spotted a funnel cloud in the distance, the couple took shelter in the basement of their home on Otsego Avenue.

While Vic Ouellette was knocked in the head, Connie Ouellette's vertebrae was cracked by debris flying through the air," he said.

"I watched her literally get slammed with debris and particles from the flooring," he said. "The wall slapped her on the back and knocked her down with stuff going on top of her."

A neighbor later helped pull the Ouellettes out of their basement. Fellow colleagues from city council came to check on him Saturday. He showed them the swelling on his head, which he said has gone down.

He hopes his wife will be able to leave the hospital sometime Saturday.

Ouellette was born in the basement of the house in 1947, two years after his parents built the home. He later returned to Gaylord after retiring from law enforcement and bought the house from his mother.

More: Gaylord tornado death toll increases to 2, injury count remains at 44

More: Gaylord tornado kills 2, injures 44: What we know

On Saturday morning, he waited for his nephew to come help him salvage their family bible.

Now, he's unsure if he will rebuild or sell the property.

"I didn't lose a house, I lost a home," he said.

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com or follow her on Twitter @LilyAlta.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gaylord Councilman Vic Ouellette's wife injured by tornado debris