12 people trapped in a basement during tornado warnings in Charlotte, video shows
Kitty Zalewa was in the middle of a doctor’s appointment in Charlotte when the tornado warnings started rolling in. Near UNC-Charlotte, campus sirens were alerting them to take cover.
“NWS: Tornado Warning in this area. Take shelter,” cell phone alerts stated.
That’s how they got to the basement — and how they got stuck.
Zalewa told McClatchy News an office manager came to the door and said everyone needed to go to the basement. About 12 people went down.
“We really had to force the door shut after we were all inside and then we realized we didn’t have a way to get back out,” she said. “We figured we would worry about that after the warning expired and we could go back into the office.”
Most were parents concerned about getting in touch with their kids, Zalewa said. But nearly everyone was calm. They sat in the basement for about 30 minutes before the all-clear came through — then they tried their luck at the door.
When it wouldn’t budge, Zalewa said they called the non-emergency number for the Charlotte Fire Department.
“(We) explained to them what the situation was, that no one was injured and we were pretty sure the building wasn’t damaged — we were just stuck in the basement and couldn’t get out!” she said.
Emergency personnel arrived within 10 minutes and got the door open. The first face they saw was a smiling firefighter who gave everyone a wave, the video shows.
“I recorded the video of them getting into the basement because that’s the kind of thing you have to have proof of for people to believe you,” Zalewa said.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 6:03 PM with the headline "12 people trapped in a basement during tornado warnings in Charlotte, video shows."
