BASILE — Three people, including a teenager, who were trapped by the tornado in the building where Rheas Specialty Meats is located Tuesday morning, have been released from the hospital.

“This is the inside of the front, which is the meat room; we tried going the other way, but the whole room collapsed,” said Sally Ceasar, who was working at the store when the tornado hit.

Some workers, like Ceasar, managed to escape uninjured, but several others, including teenager Lainey Cormier, were trapped inside, covered in debris and cinder blocks, after the tornado hit the meat shop.

“And then it just came out of nowhere,” Lainey Cormier said.

The next thing he knew…

“Someone said ‘your head is bleeding,'” Cormier said.

Even though he was injured, he ran to his co-worker, Esmeralda Lopez, who was working in front of the store.

“Because he was holding his head and water was dripping from his head,” Cormier said.

SPANISH TRANSLATION: “When I came back, I did something else too – I thought about a lot of things on my trip. I am nervous in the protection and there is no sabía when I come back or the hurricane somehow passes. Fue muy feo,” Esmeralda Lopez said.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION: “When I was trapped, something hit my head. I thought a lot about my daughter. She was at the nursery and I didn’t know if anyone would pick her up, if the tornado would pass, if I would see her. It scared her so much again,” Lopez said.

Both women now have stitches from head injuries; Cormier received two stitches and Esmeralda received ten stitches. Another worker, butcher Victor Alvarez, was also injured.

SPANISH TRANSLATION🙁 greet me. Mi esposa me jalo,” Alvarez said.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Alvarez said, “We felt like something was happening and we stayed there. My leg got stuck in something and I couldn’t get out. Someone took me out and my wife took me out.”

Alvarez has a broken leg and will be out of action for a while.

“And it was so scary to see everyone in so much distress; these people are my family,” Cormier said.

Despite requiring stitches, Cormier attended school at LSUE Wednesday morning.

Everyone hopes they can recover and start rebuilding the store.

On Wednesday afternoon, the owner of Rheas Special Meats met with insurance adjusters to begin the rebuilding process.