Homeowner Clint Thornton's Storm-Damaged Ceiling Collapses During TV Interview

As homeowner Clint Thornton was being interviewed by a television crew about the damage his Birmingham, Ala., house suffered from a recent tornado, its ceiling collapsed on-camera.

Thornton was recounting the devastating storm to local station WIAT-TV as cameras rolled, then his family members inside the home began shrieking as large slabs of its ceiling came crashing down.

"I could see the funnel cloud coming toward the house," Thornton said in the video, "and the funnel cloud had furniture, debris -- all kind of things in the funnel cloud -- and it was coming toward the house. And it happened so quick -- oh my God! Oh my God!"

That's when the camera turns to the house, showing plaster falling to the floor as those inside scream.

"You all OK? You all OK in there?" Thornton called to his family members. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident.

WIAT reported that water pooling on the roof from heavy rainfall caused the collapse.

Thornton's nightmare, however, caught the attention of a Good Samaritan across the country who saw their ordeal on TV and reached out to help.

Mark Sholz of New Jersey called Thornton to check on his condition and that of his family after seeing the damage to Thornton's ceiling on the news, WIAT said.

"You know, what really struck me was that you kept praising God, even through all the trials that you're going through," Sholz said by phone. "And that's what touched my heart."

Sholz is now raising money through his New Jersey church to send to Thornton to help recover from the damage caused by the storm.

"We just praise God for people like brother Mark, and for this great miracle," Thornton told WIAT.

See also:
Home Insurance for Hurricanes and Floods
Hurricane Sandy Recovery, One Month Later
Hurricane Sandy Victims' Electric Bills Show Charges for Power Despite Blackout

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