A husband and wife in their 60s are recovering after an EF-3 tornado tore through Streator and destroyed their home, leaving both trapped beneath the wreckage and injured.
The storm struck Thursday night as severe weather swept across the Chicago area. By Friday, residents in several communities had begun the difficult work of cleaning up the damage.
Among the most harrowing moments captured from the storm was video from inside the couple’s home. In the recording, Gary Rymek can be heard saying, “I got her out,” before adding, “But I can’t get out.”
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The tornado slammed into the Rymeks’ house on 12th Street, sending the couple to shelter in a closet as the storm closed in. It was only moments before the home started coming apart around them.
“The door flew out of my hand, and then everything just started falling apart,” Gary Rymek said.
Roxanne Rymek said she could feel an intense force pressing her down. “I felt through my back like I was being pushed really hard down to the floor, but what was happening is the roof fell on us,” she said.
The couple exchanged what they feared might be final words. “All I remember is my wife telling me, you know, I love you, and I told her I love you, too,” Gary said.
When the storm passed, both were trapped beneath the wreckage. A nail had punctured Gary’s arm, and his ankle was crushed. He also feared another danger.
“The gas was coming out pretty bad, and I know just a little spark, it would have done it,” he said.
Despite his injuries, Gary used his good arm to free his wife. Roxanne escaped the debris, but her husband remained stuck underneath the collapsed home.
Roxanne recalled the moment as she tried to help him. “There was so much debris on top of him. Part of it was the roof because I remember seeing our shingles there,” she said, adding that she was unable to move the wreckage on her own.
Nearby, freelance journalist Scott Lasker was recording video when he heard Roxanne calling for help.
“And I ran over there immediately, and she said, ‘Can you please help me? My husband is trapped underneath our house that collapsed,’” Lasker said.
Video captures the chaotic scene as Lasker approached and spoke with Gary, who told him, “I think I got a broken leg.”
Lasker began helping to remove debris. “There were shelving units and doors, and it looks Iike they were crushing his leg, so I was able to get it off of half of his body to give him a little bit of comfort,” he said.
First responders soon arrived and freed Gary from the debris.
Both Gary and Roxanne Rymek were taken to a hospital. Though their home was destroyed, they expressed gratitude for surviving.
“I’m just very thankful I’m alive, that we are,” Gary said.
Roxanne suffered lacerations across her body, while Gary is expected to need surgery on his leg. The couple has also begun the process of determining where they will live next.
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