HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A southeast Houston man miraculously survived when a tree crashed through his home during Hurricane Beryl on Monday.
Jordan Nichols, who now wears a neck brace, recounted the harrowing experience to. He explained that he had fallen asleep while keeping an eye on the hurricane when the incident occurred.
The tree fell on his home located at Des Jardines Street and Hansford Avenue, east of the University of Houston. Nichols was jolted awake around 9 a.m. by a deafening crash as the ceiling collapsed on top of him.
In the chaotic moments that followed, he heard his roommate’s desperate cries for help. Both were eventually rescued by firefighters.
“I kept praying and counting to 30 repeatedly,” Nichols told ABC13. “I believed God had a purpose, and I couldn’t fathom being trapped there without help. The whole ordeal feels surreal; the adrenaline and medication make it hard to believe it happened.”
Footage from the scene shows Nichols’ car still ensnared by broken tree limbs in front of the house. Nichols is currently recovering at his mother’s home.
Tragically, five people across southeast Texas lost their lives due to falling trees on Monday — three in Harris County and two in Montgomery County. Additionally, a Houston Police Department employee drowned when his vehicle was submerged in floodwaters.
