In my opinion The Wizard of Oz would have been a much better movie if Dorothy had arrived in Munchkin Land in a dryer. Much more believable, as it turns out (and the Cowardly Lion could be replaced by Snuggles® The Fabric Softener Bear). Austin Miller, 11, was home alone as a tornado ripped apart his Lenox, Iowa house on Wednesday. His mom, two blocks away, was unable to get to him because of the wind and debris.
After the tornado tore off the roof of the house, Austin fled to the laundry room. Then in a burst of inspiration, he climbed into the dryer (pictured). From WHIOTV:
“He was just like, “Mommy I’m so scared, I’m so scared,” and he ended up getting in the dryer,” Jessica Miller said.
A short time later, Jessica Miller ran through the front door yelling her son’s name. She said he popped right out of the laundry room uninjured — amazing given the damage the storms caused.
“I think he’s a very smart boy,” she said.
From the Des Moines Register:
“I didn’t know I was, like, three feet from the tornado until I went out there and saw the roof was gone.” said Austin.
Not quite as dramatic as Indiana Jones riding out a nuclear explosion in a refrigerator, but it will do. I’m just glad there’s at least one thing to smile about in this devastating tornado season in the South and Midwest.
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Boy Rides Out Tornado In Dryer [WHIOTV]
Boy survives tornado by hiding in clothes dryer [MSNBC]
