Randall Hair speaking with Red Cross volunteer in Greenfield, Iowa.Photo: American Red Cross, Central Iowa
(Greenfield, Iowa) -- A Greenfield, Iowa tornado survivor is sharing his story, and thanking Red Cross volunteers who have been helping him. Randall Hair says he'd just returned home from the hospital, after being treated for a broken ankle, when the EF4 tornado hit Greenfield May 21st. The tornado flattened over 150-homes in Greenfield, in less than one minute.
“I just got to the basement, which isn’t any fun with a boot on you,” Hair recounted. “I kind of slid on my rear end and hung on to the railing. As soon as I hit the bottom of the stairs, I had my phone and my wallet, and all of a sudden BOOM. All I could grab is my phone.”
Hair made it to his basement just in time, sustaining just minor injuries.
“I remember flying through the air upside down, from one side of the basement to the other,” Hair described. “I was trying to get to the bathroom down there to grab hold of the toilet, but there wasn’t any toilet. and then I blacked out after hitting my head.”
Hair says when he regained consciousness he was in the midst of rubble of his home of 40 years. He was rescued and sent to an area hospital to be treated for his injuries. He was released and ended up at the Red Cross Resource Center in Greenfield for additional care and shelter.
“Above and beyond the call of duty,” Hair said when talking about the Red Cross volunteers who cared for him. “Yeah, they’re great. The best bunch of people I’ve ever been around. Helpful, caring.”
Red Cross volunteers found an apartment for Hair, and helped transport him.