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Calera, Alabama, family spends night in former jail cell after mobile home destroyed by EF-1 tornado

Calera, Alabama, family spends night in former jail cell after mobile home destroyed by EF-1 tornado
MAGDALA. THANK YOU. NOW, MAJOR STORM CLEANUP UNDERWAY AT A SHELBY COUNTY BUSINESS AND A DISPLACED FAMILY HAD TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN WHAT USED TO BE A JAIL CELL. 米兰体育 13 JON PAEPCKE JOINS US NOW LIVE AT BURTON CAMPUS WITH BOTH THOSE STORIES. AND, JOHN, I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF DAMAGED INVENTORY THERE. YEAH, A LOT OF THE DAMAGE IS ACTUALLY A LOT WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT IT WAS WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED HERE, ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER THE STORM HIT ON SATURDAY NIGHT. THE GENERAL MANAGER HERE AT BURTON CAMPUS, JOHNNY GARNER, TELLS ME THAT 70 OF THEIR CAMPERS WERE IMPACTED, 44 OF WHICH, LIKE THIS ONE, WHICH IS COMPLETELY RIPPED OPEN, ARE A TOTAL LOSS. THAT鈥橲 THE ONE THAT YOU SAID WAS HERE JUST FOR ONE WINDOW REPAIR. BURTON CAMPUS GENERAL MANAGER JOHNNY GARNER GAVE US A PERSONAL TOUR OF THE WRECKAGE LEFT BEHIND BY SATURDAY鈥橲 TORNADO. THAT PINNACLE THAT YOU WERE JUST POINTING AT, THAT WAS HERE FOR ONE WINDOW REPAIR, AND NOW IT鈥橲 A TOTAL LOSS. A MASSIVE FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER FLATTENED BY WINDS NEARLY 100 MILES PER HOUR. 70 RVS IN ALL WERE DAMAGED, AND THE REAR OF THIS MAINTENANCE BUILDING COLLAPSED. THE STORM BLEW THROUGH AROUND 815 SATURDAY NIGHT. MOMENTS AFTER DOING DAMAGE NEAR DOWNTOWN CALERA, MUCH OF THIS MOBILE HOME WAS BLOWN APART. NOT LONG AFTER TIM STRIEGEL EVACUATED IT WITH HIS DAUGHTER TO A NEIGHBOR鈥橲 BASEMENT. JUST MINUTES AFTER WE LEFT THE TRAILER, IT WAS HIT. JUST THAT QUICK. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HAD HESITATED? I WOULDN鈥橳 BE HERE TALKING TO YOU. AFTER UNSUCCESSFULLY TRYING TO FIND HIM A HOTEL ROOM THROUGH THE RED CROSS, CALERA, POLICE OFFERED TO LET HIM SLEEP IN ONE OF THEIR FORMER JAIL CELLS. I COULDN鈥橳 GET NO REST IN A IN A JAIL CELL, SO I JUST PRETTY MUCH DIDN鈥橳 SLEEP THAT NIGHT. FORTUNATELY, STRIEGEL TOOK OUT AN INSURANCE POLICY ON HIS MOBILE HOME THE DAY BEFORE THE STORM. PERFECT TIMING, WHICH CONTINUED WITH HIS QUICK EVACUATION A DAY LATER. IT鈥橲 JUST LIKE DIVINE GUIDANCE GUIDING MY MIND TO GET THAT POLICY AND GET US OUT OF THAT TRAILER. WHEN IT DID, IT WOULD HAVE BUSTED THAT INNER WALL. GARNER SAID THEY HAD SHUT DOWN FOR THE DAY AT NOON AHEAD OF THE STORMS, SO NONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES WERE ON SITE WHEN THE WINDS TOSSED AROUND MUCH OF HIS INVENTORY LIKE TOYS. IT鈥橲 HARD TO LOOK AT IT AND AND NOT CRY. SO JUST, YOU KNOW, TRY TO BE A LIGHT HEARTED ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW? NOW, TIM STEGALL, MORE GOOD NEWS FOR HIM, ACTUALLY. HE TELLS ME A CALERA CITY EMPLOYEE HAS ARRANGED FOR HIM TO HAVE EIGHT NIGHTS IN A LOCAL HOTEL. PLUS, THAT NEW INSURANCE POLICY THAT HE SIGNED UP FO
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Calera, Alabama, family spends night in former jail cell after mobile home destroyed by EF-1 tornado
LATEST FORECAST | CONFIRMED DEATHS | CONFIRMED TORNADOES | INTENSE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS | CLOSURES | 米兰体育 13 LIVE DOPPLER RADAR | UPLOAD YOUR WEATHER PHOTOS | TURN ON WEATHER NOTIFICATIONSA storm that hit Calera on Saturday night destroyed a mobile home and forced a family to spend the night in a former jail cell."Just minutes after we left the trailer, it was hit, just that quick," Tim Striegel said."What do you think would have happened if you hesitated?" 米兰体育 13 Investigative Reporter Jon Paepcke asked."I wouldn't be here talking to you," Striegel replied.The storm blew through around 8:15 p.m., causing significant damage near downtown Calera.Much of Striegel's mobile home was blown apart shortly after he and his daughter evacuated to a neighbor's basement.米兰体育 13 Reporter Gladys Bautista spoke to him that night. Watch his emotional video below.After unsuccessfully trying to find a hotel room through the Red Cross, Calera police offered Striegel a place to sleep in one of their former jail cells."I couldn't get no rest in a jail cell. So I just pretty much didn't sleep that night," Striegel said.Fortunately, Striegel had taken out an insurance policy on his mobile home the day before the storm, which proved to be perfect timing given the quick evacuation a day later.

LATEST FORECAST | CONFIRMED DEATHS | CONFIRMED TORNADOES | INTENSE PHOTOS AND VIDEOS | CLOSURES | 米兰体育 13 LIVE DOPPLER RADAR | UPLOAD YOUR WEATHER PHOTOS | TURN ON WEATHER NOTIFICATIONS

A storm that hit Calera on Saturday night destroyed a mobile home and forced a family to spend the night in a former jail cell.

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"Just minutes after we left the trailer, it was hit, just that quick," Tim Striegel said.

"What do you think would have happened if you hesitated?" 米兰体育 13 Investigative Reporter Jon Paepcke asked.

"I wouldn't be here talking to you," Striegel replied.

The storm blew through around 8:15 p.m., causing significant damage near downtown Calera.

Much of Striegel's mobile home was blown apart shortly after he and his daughter evacuated to a neighbor's basement.

米兰体育 13 Reporter Gladys Bautista spoke to him that night. Watch his emotional video below.

After unsuccessfully trying to find a hotel room through the Red Cross, Calera police offered Striegel a place to sleep in one of their former jail cells.

"I couldn't get no rest in a jail cell. So I just pretty much didn't sleep that night," Striegel said.

Fortunately, Striegel had taken out an insurance policy on his mobile home the day before the storm, which proved to be perfect timing given the quick evacuation a day later.