‘I was screaming': Largo woman survives tornado as her home is lifted into the air
LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) — Debby Mettler was in her Largo home on Wednesday when a tornado hit.She said it looked like any normal day before the storm hit.
'It was sunny, it was nice out, you know we've been having so much rain,' Mettler said.
Then, the rain and wind picked up rapidly.
'Never got it': Why didn't an alert go out before tornado touched down in Largo?
'I heard something bang up against the mobile, so I got up to see what it was, and I stepped up into the living room and I looked out the window and all I see was these pieces of roof flying by, and all this debris, and I knew right away it was a tornado,' Mettler said.
Security camera video from her neighbor, that has been seen across the country, shows Mettler's home being lifted into the air and slammed back down as a tornado moves across her neighborhood.
She was only concerned about her cat at first.
'We were running back and forth, and I was trying to catch her and then all of a sudden all hell broke loose,' Mettler said.
At first, she wasn't aware of exactly what was going on.
'But I think it was when the mobile was lifted in the air, it thrust me into the hallway and then I started doing — I'm surprised I didn't get a broken neck — I started doing somersaults, and then it was thrashing me back and forth against all of the walls in the bedroom,' Mettler said.
She suffered extensive bruising and some cuts.
'I was screaming. I didn't know where my cat was,' Mettler said.
When the wind stopped, she was disoriented at first.
'When it was over, I was covered with a lot of debris in the bedroom, so I just laid there for a moment and thought, 'How am I going to get out of this',' Mettler said.
She managed to crawl out of her home and was soon helped by neighbors.
Largo firefighters soon arrived on scene to take care of her. They also found her cat, under a bed. She said the cat is still angry and hissing, but otherwise OK.
Her home though, is a total loss.
'That's a goner. I don't think I'll ever live in a mobile home again,' Mettler said.
Mettler's daughter has started a 'GoFundMe' account to help her, because she says it won't be easy for a 76-year-old woman to start over. The account can be found by clicking here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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