On Friday afternoon, in a western suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, Roger Slatten and his brother, Royce Slatten, survived a life-or-death situation when a tornado sucked them out of their home.
Neither was able to make it to the basement for cover as they were instantly hit by at least 136 mph winds, ripping the Slattens out of their home and leaving nothing but rubble in its wake.
"I've never seen the wind do what it was doing," Roger told CNN.
"I never expected something like this to happen."
The Slatten home was one of dozens the rumbling tornado wrecked across the Plains last week.
Both brothers and their dogs are quite fortunate to be alive.
Others were not so lucky, with five people reportedly dead in Oklahoma and one in Iowa.
"We could feel the floor separate from the foundation. As soon as the wind got under it, it just vaporized the upper end of the house," Roger described the moment.
As the brothers were violently tossed from the home, Roger was certain that it would be the last time he would ever see his brother because the "house took off," he said.
Despite remaining conscious while being thrown into the air, Roger was struck with debris before hitting the ground, only to be pinned down underneath more destruction.
Royce only remembers tiny bits of his descent through the air, telling CNN,
"I remember being ripped out towards the back after the house was lifted. I remember hitting the ground and coming to afterwards and just feeling like the whole house is ripping into my back."
Unlike his brother, Royce was thrown into the backyard and, luckily unharmed by the debris, ran toward a neighbor's home.
"It was the most intense feeling I've ever had in my life," adding that once he was able to gather himself, he began screaming for his brother, whom he thought was "dead for sure" at that point.
The brothers' eventual reunion was a weight lifted off their shoulders and one of pure relief.
The house, however, was completely annihilated, and most of their belongings were gone.
Above all, the brothers are grateful to be alive and thankful for the support their community has shown them.
