Panama City couple saves man from powerful storm
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — After a possible tornado touched down in Panama City Friday night, the community was cleaning up and assessing the damage on Saturday.
News 13 spoke with a couple that lives on 19th and Clay Avenue that said they saved a man's life during the storm.
At the time of the storm, Lisa Morelas and her husband were inside their home and a man was doing some work on their roof.
"All I could hear was that man, 'Oh Jesus, oh please God help me, y'all help me. Please help me.' And I tell my husband 'You have to help him.' We are trying to open the door to get him in and we could not get the door open. The back door blew in and I could clearly see the tornado and I am screaming. We are still trying to now open this door, we couldn't get the door open, and then we finally get the door open with him hitting the front door and the dumpster coming at him, which could have killed him," Morelas said.
She said she witnessed what looked like a tornado headed straight for her house.
"It was scary, I think scarier than Michael actually because it was so fast," Morelas said. "Very fast. And I actually seen that. With that door blowing off in the back, I actually witnessed that wind. I mean it was so fast, it was horrible."
Once it passed, Morelas looked through her window to see devastating damage.
"Oh my gosh. When I seen that I said, 'Oh my gosh we just went through something horrible.' When I walked out and looked the trailer was on my car, my husband's windshield is broken and everything is just a nightmare," Morelas said. "It's like reliving Michael again. From this point, you don't know where to go."
Morelas and her husband are still without power and unsure when they'll get it back.
She said there is ankle-deep water inside of her home.
Across the street, one home had the roof completely torn off. Morelas said at the time, a 19-year-old boy was in the house taking shelter in the bathtub.
That was the only spot in the home that was not damaged.
Antonio Lopez and his family live right next door and say they were terrified.
"The house was shaking like a lot and glass broken and everything it was scary as heck," Lopez said.
Officials said crews with Florida Power and Light, phone and cable services are still working to restore the power and services to the areas.
And the City of Panama City is working on debris removal.
The American Red Cross is offering assistance for people and Bay County Emergency Services is still asking that people report the damage through this link on their Facebook page.