TOLEDO, Ohio — Severe weather on Sunday affected much of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. But one man is lucky to be alive after a tree crashed into his west Toledo home.
The man, who did not want to be identified, tells WTOL he was sleeping on Sunday morning when the massive tree uprooted and landed right on his home, part of a multi-unit apartment building. Thankfully, he woke up on the right side of the bed.
"I was in bed when the tree fell," said the man. "It was maybe a foot or two or away actually from where my head was."
Some neighbors heard the tree go down and said it was like a loud rumbling.
"I didn't know what was happening," said the man. "I thought maybe it was like a branch hitting the roof but then I heard the crunching and then I knew right then and there it was a lot worse than what I had initially thought."
In his words after "getting his bearings together," he knew he had to leave the house.
"When I found out I was alright, I got up, got dressed and I went out the back door," added the man, "because I couldn't come through because it came right through the kitchen."
Police and fire crews arrived around 12:30 p.m. to inspect the damage and tape off the house. The man says people from the property office also came to take pictures, but that was it.
The American Red Cross came by around 5 p.m. to help him and his neighbor who is also homeless now.
"I guess we're pretty much on our own you know," said the man, "one neighbor said they thought they were going to stay in a hotel. Me? I don't know what I'm going to do."
Despite the loss, the man is thankful. He's grateful to first responders and his neighbors for helping him.
"Thank God. It could've been a lot worse," he said.