'It doesn't even feel real:' Man survives when tree crashes through home, trapping him under rubble
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man in southeast Houston survived after a tree came crashing through his home during Hurricane Beryl on Monday.
With a brace around his neck, Jordan Nichols told ABC13 he can't believe he's alive. He said he was asleep when the tree fell.
It happened off Des Jardines Street and Hansford Avenue, east of the University of Houston.
Nichols said he fell asleep while monitoring Hurricane Beryl.
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Around 9 a.m., he said he woke up to a loud crash, and then the ceiling crumbled on top of him.
Moments later, he heard his roommate screaming for help. They were both rescued by firefighters.
"I remember I just kept praying the whole time and trying to count to 30 as many times as possible and praying in between," Nichols told ABC13. "I was like, I know God doesn't do things by mistake. And I was like, there's no way that I'm going to still be under this alive and nobody can come and help. So I don't know. It's just, it's unreal. I've been shaking all day. Like it's just, I guess the adrenaline, even with the medicine. I just, it doesn't even feel real."
Video from the scene shows Nichols' car still stuck under broken tree limbs in front of the home.
He told ABC13 he's staying with his mother as he continues his recovery.
Across southeast Texas, five people died due to falling trees on Monday -- three in Harris County and three in Montgomery County. In addition, a Houston Police Department employee drowned when his vehicle was submerged in flood waters.
READ MORE: 3 Montgomery Co. deaths among 5 in Houston area attributed to fallen trees during Beryl
