‘I’ve seen about everything’: 94-year-old blind man recounts Seminole County tornado
Melick shared his experience
By Spencer Tracy
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LONGWOOD, Florida (WESH) — A powerful tornado recently pummeled a Longwood neighborhood, leaving behind destruction but also incredible stories of survival. One of the most remarkable survivors is 94-year-old Keith Melick, who is blind.
Melick shared his experience, describing how quickly the disaster struck.
“When there are hurricanes, at least you get a warning, but with tornadoes, you have no warning,” he said.
Being blind, Melick couldn’t see the alerts but relied on his computer’s screen reader to receive notifications.
He was upstairs with his wife, who is bedridden, when the tornado hit.
“I got the emergency tornado alert on my cellphone, and I was upstairs on my computer. I hung up the phone, and there was a shudder of the house, and then the tornado hit. That’s all it was,” he recounted.
Despite the chaos, Melick and his wife were unscathed, even though their roof was severely damaged.
“I didn’t feel anything, just a shudder of the house, and of course, it tore the whole end of the roof off,” he said.
The aftermath made it difficult for family and friends to check on him due to temporary roadblocks by first responders.
He also shared how his caregiver was trapped in the home and was unable to return home because of the situation.
Although Melick and his wife had lived in the area for decades, this was the first time they had ever encountered a tornado in Longwood.
Melick, a 31-year veteran, has faced many challenges before and weathered many storms.
“I’ve seen about everything,” he remarked.
Before the tornado, Melick’s house was for sale, as he and his wife were planning to move to Palm Harbor to live with their daughter.
Now, they are working with contractors and realtors to put the house back on the market.
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