Will Isern

wisern@pnj.com

On Wednesday afternoon, as the sun began to set over Escambia Bay, Tom Routt and Kevin Grier dug through the pile of debris that had been the Grand Baroque townhome they were renting along Scenic Highway, searching for personal belongings that could be salvaged.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Rout and Grier had been at the bottom of that pile, trapped after the tornado that ravaged Pensacola Tuesday night dealt a direct blow to the townhome, completely destroying it while Rout and Grier were inside.

Amazingly, Rout, 23, and Grier, 22, not only survived the tornado, but emerged from the rubble unharmed. In good spirits on Wednesday, Rout and Grier said they knew they were lucky to be alive.

“We probably shouldn’t be alive right now,” Routt said.

Tornado update: More than 360 destroyed, damaged homes

“Oh yeah, no, definitely not,” Grier agreed, laughing.

Routt and Grier came to Pensacola to train at NAS Whiting Field, and only moved into the townhome in December. When the tornado hit, they were making their way into the garage on the lowest level.

“I remember we opened the door to the garage, and the garage door started peeling up like a horror movie,” Routt said. “I don’t really remember after that. It was totally black for the next 10 to 15 seconds and then miraculously we both had our cell phones in our pockets.”

Routt and Grier both called 911, and then their parents.

“I was like, ‘Hey mom, hey dad, I’m OK so don’t freak out, but my house just got hit by a tornado and it totally collapsed on me and I’m trapped underneath,’” Routt said.

Routt was on his stomach and Grier on his side with an office chair between them. They checked to see if they could move their limbs and then asked if the other was OK. They could move, Routt, said, but couldn’t see a way out. Unsure how much debris was piled above them, they awaited rescue.

About 15 minutes passed before emergency responders arrived and were able to clear away enough debris for the two to crawl out from under the destroyed townhome.

“It seemed like forever, but it was really fast,” Grier said.

They returned Wednesday to try and salvage what they could of their belongings. Somehow, both men were able to find their class rings from the military academies from which they graduated, and Grier found the 50-year-old officer’s sword that was passed down to him at his graduation.

As they sorted through the debris, after surviving what both agreed was the scariest experience of their lives, Routt and Grier said they’re in no hurry to piece things back together.

“At least until next week I’m just going to be happy to be alive,” Grier said.