12 People Rescued From Grubsteakers Restaurant in Rochelle, Illinois, After Tornado Destroys It

Rescue crews worked into the night to pull 12 people from the rubble of a Rochelle, Illinois, restaurant leveled by a large tornado Thursday night.

Several employees and customers were inside Grubsteakers when it was hit by the massive twister. Some told their stories of survival after the incident.

Raymond Kramer, 81, took shelter inside the restaurant after his wife insisted they pull off the road and get to safety, according to WLS-TV.

Had they stayed on the road, they might have met the tornado and possible death just minutes later.

"I stood at the door taking pictures of the tornado coming at me, and finally the owner of the restaurant said, 'Everybody in the basement right now!'" Kramer told WLS-TV. "And no sooner did we get down there when it hit the building and laid a whole metal wall on top of the doors where we went into the storm cellar."

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"When the tornado hit, we all got a dust bath," Kramer said. "Everyone in there got shattered with dust and debris falling out of the rafters."

The twister brought the building down in a heap all around the dozen people inside, and for 90 minutes, they were trapped in the storm cellar, unable to free themselves from the debris, according to The Associated Press. When emergency crews finally arrived at the mangled building, they had to dig through what remained of the restaurant to find the survivors.

The first crews to arrive at the broken building saw a bleak scene. Truck drivers pulled over to lend a hand, as well as local residents, including Eric Widick.

"Just saw the restaurant was flattened and there was a semi. There was a garage that set behind the restaurant and there was a semi on its side where the garage used to be," Widick told WLS-TV. "We're a community and if one person's in need, we're all going to be there."

Widick told CNN that the restaurant, located near Illinois routes 251 and 64, was a staple of the community for more than 25 years. And even if the restaurant doesn't rebuild, 12 people will forever owe the eatery a debt of gratitude, knowing that those walls held up just well enough to keep them alive.