Man prayed as tornado hit Garner Industries, 70 workers survive

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, April 30, 2024

A Nebraska man who was among 70 people inside the Garner Industries’ industrial building in Lincoln as an EF-3 tornado ripped off its roof and ravaged the building on Friday said he begged God to keep him alive as debris crashed all around him and he and all his colleagues survived.

“There’s nothing I can do right now except literally just pray to God that I don’t die because I’m not in control of anything at this point,” Nate Hutchison told KLKN-TV. “It’s just hopefully I don’t get crushed.”

Thankfully, Hutchison was not injured. Three of his colleagues, however, were injured severely enough that he called 911 for help.

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“The one that seemed the scariest, the dude’s face was covered in blood, but he was up and moving around,” Hutchison said.

Duane Johns, another Garner Industries worker, told KETV that the business took a direct hit from the tornado just before workers began their commute home and now “everything is in shambles.”

Another eyewitness, Kent Thompson, recalled how he was driving by the building as it was being destroyed by the tornado.

"I look over and I see that building's being all torn up by that tornado," Thomspon said. "It picked me up and took me over the other side and didn't tip the car over, but it just slid it across the other side."

Emergency workers, including deputies and firefighters, helped get people out of the collapsed building, according to Fox 54.

Chief Jared Rains with the Waverly Fire Department said the workers survived because they hunkered down in the safer areas of the building.

"They went to reinforced areas, places that could be able to withstand the high winds, tornadoes, stuff like that. So yeah, it worked out well for them," he said.

The cars of many other workers were left undrivable after the tornado. Many of the workers had to be shuttled from the rubble to an emergency shelter where they recounted how they survived and how grateful they were to be alive.

"It's kind of surreal, everybody just kind of relaxing, calming down and kind of redoing everything back in their heads all over again," Steve Fankhauser explained.

Chris Aue recalled how quickly the tornado released havoc in their lives.

"It was like a freight train coming in,” he said, “About five seconds later, it was done; it just tore everything up."

Hutchison said his windshield was destroyed by debris in the parking lot of the building, but he was still able to drive home to his wife and newborn daughter.

He is so grateful to be alive he decided to sport the same T-shirt he was wearing when he survived the tornado for the KLKN-TV interview.

“This is a band called Rufus Du Sol and they have a song called, ‘At Least I’m Alive,’ and I thought that was just fantastic,” he said. “Sitting there praying for God to save my life, and then I’m here, untouched.”