'I Thought I Was Going To Die' Man Gets Stuck On Roof As Tornado Approached Edgewater Wednesday
EDGEWATER, Md. (WJZ) -- Eduardo Aguirre has every reason not to climb this ladder Thursday.
"Mucho miedo." (I was so scared), said Aguirre.
He was pressure washing a roof Wednesday when another type of pressure arrived.
"It was definitely a freight train sound," said Lauren Reinecker, Poplar Point Resident.
Reinecker, the homeowner, rushed her kids to the basement.
"It was horrifying," said Reinecker.
"Yo Estaba Arriba En La Chiminea. No Hay Tiempo Para Bajar." [I was up by the chimney. There wasn't time to get down.]
"Wind took the ladder, he got stuck on the roof," said Bill Greenwell with Fresh Coat Painting.
"And that's when I started panicking," said Reinecker.
"He just held on for life," Greenwell added.
Aguirre said those five seconds were the worst. He showed WJZ how he held onto the chimney as the tornado went by.
"I thought I was going to die," said Aguirre.
To the west, there's hardly any damage but from that chimney east, a path of destruction snapped trees and sent debris flying everywhere.
"I mean the tornado blew right over him," said Reinecker.
When trees started flying, Aguirre moved to some cover. He eventually made it down.
"And I cried, and I was just so grateful he was OK. It was scary," said Reinecker.