MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A Port Salerno man says it's a miracle he, his wife and their dog survived a tornado that destroyed his home last Wednesday.
George Bustillo was taken aback when a tornado struck his home, trapping him, his wife, and their dog under debris.
"It came out of nowhere," recalled Bustillo. "The house exploded, and within two seconds, I found myself beneath the rubble."
The tornado nearly claimed Bustillo's life.
"I was buried underneath that structure," he said. His car's dash camera captured the tornado's ferocity.
High winds buried him in debris as he called for help: "Come over! I'm pinned down. Hurry, help me!"
One neighbor rescued his wife from the rubble, while another helped free him. Remarkably, he was still holding onto his cigar.
"I was smoking a cigar before it hit and still had it while enduring the emergency. That's just how I live," he said with a wry grin.
It took a jack to extract him from the wreckage, leaving Bustillo with a transformed outlook on life.
"I've never been a particularly religious person, but I truly believe this was a miracle," he said. "There was divine intervention, without a doubt. Someone was watching over my wife, an angel over me, and another one over my dog."
Bustillo hopes to inspire others by sharing his story, reminding them that experiences like this are a reason to embrace life to the fullest.
A potentially tragic event came perilously close, but thankfully, no cigar.
