San Antonio woman recounts being caught in tornado at The Rim
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Xiomara Zamora and her view of the tornado damage. Photos: Courtesy of Xiomara Zamora
Xiomara Zamora was leaving an early morning spin class at TruFusion at The Rim when she found herself in the middle of Wednesday's tornado.
The big picture: While most businesses were closed when the tornado touched down, TruFusion was open.
- Unlike most witnesses, who experienced the tornado from inside buildings or vehicles, Zamora was caught outside.
Catch up quick: Before 8am she received a tornado warning on her phone. She debated staying in her car or returning to the gym.
- As the sky darkened, she decided to head back inside, but her timing put her directly in the tornado.
- "I was just flattened by the wind. It spun me around and I fell on my back and left side. I was rolling on the ground, flailing, because I couldn't get a grip to get up," she tells Axios. "I just remember telling my mom… I put the phone back up to my ear and I was like, 'I'm in the tornado. I'm literally in it right now.'"
- Her glasses were ripped off her face, and her purse and its contents were scattered across the parking lot — some ending up in neighboring lots.
Zoom in: She suffered only minor bruises and cuts.
What they're saying: "I keep seeing the news say, 'Thankfully nobody was involved. No injuries were reported.' I know I wasn't seriously injured, but I was out there," she says. "It was just me and the wind — we were going one-on-one, head to head."
The bottom line: Zamora hopes her story reminds people to take tornado and flood warnings seriously and seek shelter immediately.