A Cleburne family is thankful to have survived Wednesday night’s devastating tornadoes as they attempt to salvage the items from their damaged home.
Jon Stiver rode out the Cleburne tornado in the guest bathroom of the home he built with his own hands.
“The door started shaking and bending so I jammed my feet against it and holding it closed and I had
the book and I just held it over my head like that,” Stiver said, standing in the shell of his home.
Based on his craftsmanship, Stiver builds a solid home. The frame of his roof is still intact, while his neighbor’s roof across the street is missing.
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A roof over his head is just one of the blessings that Jon Stiver is counting.
Baby pictures of his grown children and older pictures of his wife in her wedding dress survived the twister – and his wife’s prized wine collection. The wine glasses were tucked behind wood and glass cabinets.
The Stiver’s old black Labrador also rode out the storm with him. She’s doing fine, but tired after two nervous nights.
Pat Stiver was out of town during the storm. She came back as soon as possible to start the cleanup.
Jon is happy she wasn’t there for the terrifying tornado.
“I'm thankful for everything we're able to save, but everything that we're not, you know, it's just stuff,” Jon Stiver said.
