2 dead as tornadoes tear across Minnesota

[Jolie Rouge]

By Dave Kolpack, Associated Press Writer 32 mins ago

WADENA, Minn. – Tornadoes ripped across Minnesota on Thursday evening, killing at least two people and injuring dozens more as homes were flattened, trees toppled and a gas station destroyed.

Some of the hardest-hit areas were in the northwest part of the state, where both deaths were reported.

Otter Tail County Emergency spokesman David Hauser said an elderly woman was killed when a tornado wiped out her home in Almora, a small town of about 20 people. At least three people were injured, he said. Brittney Schulke of Almora told The Daily Journal that her grandmother, Margie Schulke, was killed and that her grandfather, Norman Schulke, suffered two broken shoulders.

Debris including shingles and pieces of buildings littered the town. Several large trees were uprooted.

In Mentor, a man was killed when a twister destroyed the Cenex gas station, the Polk County sheriff's office said. Three other people were hurt.

Heavy damage also was reported in Wadena, a town of about 4,300, where a tornado was confirmed about 5 p.m., said National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Gust.

Mayor Wayne Wolden said sirens gave plenty of warning. He said many people were in the town for an all-school reunion. Wadena is northeast of Almora and both towns are about 70 miles southeast of Fargo, N.D.

Twenty people were treated for injuries at the Wadena hospital, mostly for bumps and bruises, nursing supervisor Kathy Kleen said.

Crews worked into the evening to control dozens of gas leaks. Wadena's community pool was destroyed, the high school "extremely busted up" and the community center beyond repair, Wolden said.

His wife, Lori Wolden, said houses were "half-gone" and "there's no trees" in the southwest part of the town.

Jay Hotakainen, 38, huddled in his basement with his 12-year-old son, Lee, and 6-year-old daughter Emma. He said the walls shook and everything in the house rattled.

"They say it sounds like a freight train. It does," he said.

In Almora, Mabel Wangerin said she heard her bedroom windows rattle as the storm came through, then watched her quilt fly off the bed and out the window.

"I was over by the window and prayed and prayed," Wangerin said.

The violent weather was widespread. The National Weather Service reported other tornado touchdowns in several cities across the state.

Albert Lea Mayor Mike Murtaugh headed for the basement as the tornado warnings sounded. He told KSTP-TV he was not immediately aware of any damage within the city. But he said he could tell from scanner traffic that some homes and farm sites outside of town had been destroyed.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the state's emergency management director, Kris Eide, planned to visit the Wadena and Albert Lea areas Friday to meet with local officials and survey the damage.

"Our emergency management officials have been working closely with local officials and we stand ready to assist in every way needed," the governor said in a statement. "Tomorrow we will visit the areas hit hardest by these tornadoes to ensure that the response is swift and comprehensive."

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[Jolie Rouge]

Minn. digs out from tornadoes; 3 dead, dozens hurt
By Chris Williams And Dave Kolpack, Associated Press Writers 50 mins ago


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Cindy Wood, far right, stands in front of her tornado-damaged home in Wadena, Minn., on Thursday June 17, 2010. At least three people were killed and dozens injured as a series of tornadoes tore through Minnesota on Thursday, flattening homes and toppling power lines.


ALBERT LEA, Minn. – As tornados bore down on southern Minnesota, Angie Woodside called her in-laws and said they should rush to her house west of Albert Lea, where there was a basement to take cover. Her mother-in-law, Kathy Woodside, refused.

"She told me she would not go down in one," Angie Woodside said Friday, a day after Kathy was killed when a tornado tossed her 200 feet from her house into a nearby field. "She just thought the whole thing would collapse on top of her. She would rather not be underneath everything."

Kathy Woodside, 66, was one of three people killed Thursday by a turbulent system that fueled twisters across Minnesota. Also killed were two northwestern Minnesota residents: Margie Schulke, 79, of Almora, whose home was destroyed by a tornado; and Wes Michaels, 58, of Mentor, whose gas station was leveled.

Dozens more were injured, including Kathy Woodside's husband, Ron, who was hospitalized Friday in Rochester. The storms damaged several hundred homes and buildings and toppled trees and power lines. The most serious damage was in the northwestern Minnesota city of Wadena, where officials reported 232 homes were hit, and in a rural area just west of Albert Lea, where about 60 rural properties saw damage.

The National Weather Service collected 36 reports of tornado sightings. If those sightings are confirmed, it would exceed the previous state record of 27 sightings in one day, in 1992.

Residents of Wadena, a town of about 4,300 people 70 miles southeast of Fargo, N.D., were allowed back into their homes on a case-by-case basis Friday. City crews were clearing debris and lumber from the streets, and Mayor Wayne Wolden said cleanup efforts likely would not start in earnest until Saturday.

"For whatever reason, the tornado decided to sit down on Wadena," Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Friday afternoon, as he toured the storm damage. Pawlenty activated 74 Minnesota National Guard soldiers to assist with security and traffic controls in the worst-hit areas.

Officials said 34 people were treated at the local hospital for storm-related injuries. Most were bumps and bruises, and by Friday morning only one person remained hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening.

But the property damage was extensive. Destruction was centered in an established neighborhood of 1940s-era homes and mature oak, pine and birch trees.

"The sad part is a lot of these were 100-year-old trees," said Doug Wolff, who returned to his property Friday to find the top part of his bungalow's roof ripped off. "They're all gone now."

The town pool was destroyed, the high school was badly damaged and a school bus yard was left with buses flipped and shredded.

The Red Cross set up a shelter at the armory, but officials said no one slept there Thursday night, opting instead to stay with family, friends or in local hotels.

Kim Guevara, of Fergus Falls, rushed to her hometown Thursday night to check on her parents. She found their home destroyed, with pieces of headstones from a nearby cemetery lying in the backyard.

"To see your childhood home just gone, it hurts," Guevara said, fighting back tears. "I got ready for my wedding in that house."

In nearby Almora, a town of about 20 people, Schulke was killed when a twister hit her home. Her husband, Norman Schulke, suffered two broken shoulders. And in Mentor, about 50 miles southeast of Grand Forks, N.D., Michaels was killed after urging his daughter and several customers into the basement of his Cenex station.

His daughter, Heidi Michaels, told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that Thursday was her father's 58th birthday and he was supposed to have the day off, but came to check on the store when he heard storms were coming.

"He saved me," she told the newspaper.

In southern Minnesota, most of the damage was confined to rural areas. Fourteen people were treated at Albert Lea Medical Center for injuries.

Freeborn County administrator John Kluever said eight homes were destroyed near Geneva. Several other tiny towns, including Armstrong and Aldon, had damage. Kluever said the storms damaged grain bins, a hog feedlot and a cattle feedlot. Several hundred hogs and a few dozen cattle were being rounded up Friday, he said.

At the Woodsides' acreage, the modular farmhouse was gone and all that was left of the big white barn was a small piece of brick foundation, said Angie Woodside, who was there searching for family heirlooms.

"There's really not much to take," she said, gripping a muddy photo taken in 1972. "There's not much to salvage."

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