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Greenwood man survives his 5th tornado, home destroyed

John Keith heeded a warning on TV to take cover from Sunday's storms, a decision that may have saved his life.

GREENWOOD, Ind. — John Keith's house, warped and twisted by a tornado, may not survive the night.

But he and his girlfriend survived Sunday's storm by taking action in a matter of seconds. 

"Something told me - get out of that chair and get to cover," Keith said. "The power went out and I told Ann, I says, 'We gotta go.' Just as we did, the house came apart."

They'd been watching the news, heard the sirens and heard a warning from a meteorologist. 

Their Stones Village neighborhood was about to get hit.

"The one guy on the news, I mean, he said, 'Take cover now.' And that's what we did," Keith said. "I got to watch my porch furniture go, 'Wheeewww!' and then I heard the whole house explode. Didn't realize until we walked out of that bedroom closet what had happened."

As a navy veteran, Keith is used to taking orders. But that one on TV likely saved his life. 

"That man says, ‘Take cover now,'" he said. "This window right here is we were sitting. We wouldn't have made it if I'd have stayed."

Credit: WTHR
Damage caused by tornadoes in the Stones Village neighborhood near Center Grove in Johnson County, Indiana on Sunday, June 25, 2023.

You can see why from the inside.

Debris, glass and drywall rained down on his chair. A large shard of glass pierced the recliner. 

"I was sitting right here, Ann was sitting right there in the loveseat," Keith said. "It was basically ten seconds, if not less."

"I'm just glad they're OK," said Keith's daughter. "So scary."

Storm danger isn't new to this family.

Keith has been through five tornadoes in multiple states - including one with deadly consequences.

"In 1974, I lost two good friends so ... luckily we didn't get hit by the funnel. They did," Keith said. 

Surviving a tornado at his home on Sunday, Keith credits instinct and that warning that he made sure to heed.

"You always think it's not gonna be you. Well guess what? This time was," he said.

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