FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — Mickey Richey tells News 19 he was moments away from being sucked into the twister as it hit his home.

Some who live in Florence continue to recover, three days after an EF-2 tornado damaged homes in several neighborhoods late Friday night.

Richey and his wife were watching weather coverage on TV when they heard the tornado would be in their neighborhood at 10:54 p.m. Friday night.

As the storm got closer, he started fearing the worst; leading Richey and his wife to jump out of bed and run to safety with just seconds to spare.

“Right then it’s like somebody just threw a grenade in,” he said. “Our front doors exploded, the front bay windows exploded and we just dove in underneath the stairs at that time and just covered our heads. Like I said it was just loud bangs, we didn’t hear a train. It sounded more like a gigantic weed eater.”

Richey tells News 19 he is fortunate that he and his wife are okay.

Richey and his neighbors, who were also impacted by Friday’s storm, have been helping one another clean up debris from their yards.

Florence and Lauderdale County EMA Director George Graybryan said residents who need assistance with essential supplies should call 211 for help.