Man and his dog rescued after camper thrown by tornado in Kentucky
By Norman Seawright
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OWEN COUNTY, Kentucky (WLKY) — A tornado tore through the hills of Owen County, Kentucky, on Tuesday, damaging homes, businesses, and trees in its path.
Family and friends were cleaning up the remains of the barndominium and camper that was inside Tuesday evening. Inside the camper was a man and his dog when a tornado came through.
Chad Hon, the man’s son, said his father is OK but really shaken.
“He said he looked out the front window of the camper, when he heard the noise, you know, and it sucked the the doors off the barn,” Hon said. “And then he just he could feel the motor home rolling over. And once it stopped, you know, he was kind of trapped in there.”
Hon said his father held on for his life, while also holding onto his German shepherd, Gunner.
“He had his study that his arms wrapped around, around him the whole time, trying to make sure that he didn’t let him go,” Hon said.
First responders broke through the camper’s windshield to rescue the pair. Hon’s father escaped with only a cut on his finger.
“Super blessed. Dad’s got great neighbors, and, they got an Amish community right down the road. They’ve been awesome. They were up here helping,” Hon said.
Owen County Emergency director Tim Cammack says only minor injuries have been reported so far.
A little over a mile away, Randy Towles is surveying damage from his business after the storm left debris and roofing scattered hundreds of feet away.
“Spared a house back there and took the roofs off these two barns, did a lot of damage to my trucks, came up this way and did some damage to my house but not a lot. We’re fortunate nobody got hurt,” Towles said.
With damage in these areas and Agee Road a few miles away, Hon says he’s grateful his father’s OK and that his mother was away when the storm happened.
“It’s a little bittersweet. They ain’t been here that long and they love this place. They’re retired. You know what I mean. And so they loved it. But yeah. So it can be rebuilt though. It’s all good,” Hon said.
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