Apocalyptic scenes

USA: Police officer rescues driver after tornado

(Bild: kameraone)

A police officer from Slidell in the US state of Louisiana drove his car into the middle of a tornado. When Officer Rodney West got out of his car after the worst of it had passed, chaos reigned around him. A driver was trapped in her overturned vehicle.

A violent tornado ripped through the city of Slidell last Wednesday, causing "catastrophic" damage to the area, according to authorities. Videos of the incident show broken homes, smashed windows, scattered debris and downed power lines.

The officer first searched a building for casualties before discovering the driver trapped in her car on the road.(Bild: kameraone)

Officer: "My car was shaking"
Wind gusts of almost 200 km/h shook the car of police officer Rodney West, who was surprised by the natural phenomenon. "There was no visibility and it was raining, my car was shaking." When the officer got out of his car afterwards, it was pure chaos all around him. The officer and former soldier compared the aftermath of the tornado to "Baghdad in 2004" to US media.

Fire department had to rescue car driver
The police officer checked adjacent buildings and vehicles for casualties. He found an overturned car, the driver was trapped in her vehicle. "When a person is in a situation like this, it's about making them realize that everything is going to be okay," explained West after the operation. He stayed with her until the fire department arrived and was able to free her from the car.