[0:01] You're watching LMCC. [0:24] We interrupt this program to bring you [0:26] an official tornado warning from the US [0:28] Weather Bureau. Broadcast of this [0:31] official tornado warning will follow in [0:33] just 30 seconds here on WCCCO radio. [0:39] The Twin City Weather Bureau has [0:41] received the report of a tornado [0:44] threatening to move into the [0:45] metropolitan Twin Cities area. We have [0:48] activated the civil defense take cover [0:50] warning siren. I live on 101 just uh [0:53] south of Chanhassen. Uhhuh. And you said [0:56] you cited a second tornado. Yes, we can [0:58] we can hear it and uh we can see it. [1:01] Where do you think you'd uh place it [1:02] right now? I would place it uh on the [1:05] fringe areas of Excelsier. Uh just uh uh [1:08] just a bit uh west of Excelsier. All [1:11] right. Uh directly uh directly a little [1:14] north of Excelsier. I hope the people in [1:17] uh Excelsier who may be listening now [1:19] have taken cover and that would mean in [1:21] their basement. We we know a tornado has [1:23] swept through Chanhass in Minnesota and [1:25] 25 mi west of Minneapolis and St. Paul [1:28] flattening several houses causing [1:29] considerable damage. The Carver County [1:31] Sheriff's Office said it has no reports [1:33] of any injuries in Chanhassen as yet. [1:35] Now, was there heavy rains along with [1:37] it? No, we had uh heavy hail here that [1:40] are even larger than golf balls. Now, [1:42] let me uh indicate here with our latest [1:44] report from the Twin Cities weather [1:46] bureau why we're getting so many reports [1:47] from all over. Three apparent tornado [1:50] cells have shown in just the past few [1:52] minutes on Twin Cities radar about 20 to [1:55] 30 mi due west of the Twin Cities and [1:57] two other cells are apparent on radar [1:59] about 50 to 20 m north of the Twin [2:02] Cities airport which would give you five [2:04] possible funnels bracketing the [2:07] Minneapolis and suburban area. Something [2:09] had just been handed me. Twin Cities [2:10] radar indicates a hook echo now [2:12] indicating the strong possibility of a [2:14] tornado over Lake Minnitaka just south [2:17] of Wisetta moving towards Wisetta. We've [2:20] already had reports from people in those [2:22] areas who actually watch the funnel and [2:24] talk to us live on the air. So the [2:26] immediate Twin City area from my [2:28] standpoint should be undercover at the [2:30] moment or at least ready to take cover [2:32] at the moment. There is a tornado alert [2:34] now over all of western and northern [2:36] suburbs of the Twin Cities. I know that [2:38] uh it sounds confusing to you to hear [2:41] reports from the Weisetta area, from the [2:43] Lake Mitaka area, from Midway and Ramsey [2:45] County, all reporting tornado funnels, [2:47] but we've now determined that there's [2:49] more than one and perhaps as many as [2:51] five. The actual entire Mitaka area [2:54] itself should remain ready to take cover [2:57] on a moment's notice. Here's a bulletin [2:59] just in from the Twin Cities weather [3:00] bureau radar showing an intense hook [3:02] echo, a definite tornado between Cologne [3:05] and Carver moving toward Victoria. I'm [3:09] in Weisetta, Charlie. I'm out on County [3:12] Road 15 where earlier they experienced [3:14] title waves and I've just come through [3:16] the through the tornado itself. I was in [3:19] the in the Browns Bay Boat Works [3:21] inspecting the damage when uh we heard [3:24] your alert that another one was located [3:26] south of Wisetta. We were a little bit [3:28] west of Weisetta and first there was a [3:30] silence and then the noise the winds [3:32] began to pick up quite a bit and then we [3:34] started hearing shattering glass as the [3:36] plate glass windows in the front of the [3:37] boat works went out. Now I've been [3:39] watching a map as we talk here and it [3:41] sounds to me like we're speaking of two [3:42] funnels now. One that just left the [3:44] Mitaka area headed straight north [3:46] perhaps in the vicinity of Hamill at the [3:48] moment and another one that you [3:50] gentlemen don't know about which may be [3:51] coming your way again. Uh-oh, the lights [3:53] are blinking. I hope we're all right. [3:55] must be uh repeating that uh we know of [3:59] uh damage in the Minnitanka area and [4:01] also in the Rapids. We have one [4:04] cited right now. Hello. Yes, we we see [4:06] one now. It's out over the Fidley area [4:09] and it's dipping up and down. I couldn't [4:11] see it. It just got dark and it just it [4:14] hit just real suddenly. I was looking [4:16] out that it got sunny and dark and it [4:18] just hit. There is awnings and windows [4:21] broken and I've got three big evergreens [4:24] on my yard here and they're all [4:25] uprooted. Even our lawn fence is picked [4:27] up and broken. It hit just real fast. We [4:30] were It started blowing over and we ran [4:32] for the base and it hit in about a [4:34] second and it hit. Here's the first [4:37] tornado that uh went through Carver and [4:39] Henipin counties, touched down around [4:41] Cologne. I believe that's Lake Waconia [4:44] and went up that way. And I got to step [4:46] in here just a second. Yeah. So this is [4:48] the one that went up through the west [4:50] edge of Lake Minnetonka. [4:53] Is that Hallstead's Bay? Yeah, there's [4:54] Excelsier and then eventually went [4:56] through Navar. This tornado killed three [4:58] people and injured 175. And it was on [5:02] the ground from 608 to 640, [5:05] touched down east of Cologne and moved [5:07] northeast, dissipated northeast of [5:08] Minatrista and Orno. So that's the first [5:11] one. You can see damage here in Navar [5:14] from this tornado. So 200 mph winds can [5:18] do that. Then the second tornado was [5:21] that Chanhassen Minnitanka deep haven [5:23] tornado over on the east side of Lake [5:25] Minnitanka. [5:26] Touched down at 627 was on the ground [5:28] until 643. It was also an F4 winds of [5:32] probably 200 miles an hour or more. It's [5:35] on the ground for 6.9 miles. So almost [5:37] seven. So it touched down in Chanhassen, [5:41] went up through the east side of [5:42] Christmas Lake, right through Deep [5:44] Haven, and then on the Northome area [5:46] shore and then up toward Weisetta Bay. [5:50] There were no fatalities [5:54] or in serious injuries with this [5:56] tornado. This is according to the Twin [5:58] Cities National Weather Service summary, [6:00] which is pretty remarkable. [6:03] Here's the what was called the [6:04] Minnitankka Boat Works on Carson Bay. [6:08] The boats were blown into the water. The [6:10] building was completely destroyed. [6:12] Here's a home in Cottagewood on Bay [6:15] Street. You can see a boat up there on [6:18] the roof. Looks like maybe a sunfish or [6:21] something. A little sailboat. [6:24] And here's tornado number three. New [6:26] Auburn Lester Prairie. Touched down at [6:28] 634 until 7:01. It was an F3 tornado. It [6:32] was on the ground for 15 and a half [6:34] miles. Nobody was injured or killed [6:36] thankfully with that one. [6:38] touched down 5 miles east of New Auburn, [6:40] traveled northeast to near Gleno and [6:43] dissipated west of Lester Prairie. So, [6:45] this was the westernmost of the [6:47] tornadoes that evening. Here's photo [6:50] that I believe is in that Lester Prairie [6:52] area. You can see some of the damage [6:54] there. [6:55] Number four was an F2 that touched down [6:59] at 643 [7:01] near Green Isle, Hamburg, and Waconia. [7:04] And it was on the ground until 7:04. It [7:07] was on the ground for 11 miles. One [7:09] person was killed, 175 injured. And this [7:13] thing, as you can see, started near [7:15] Green Isle, made its way to Norwood, [7:17] Young America in Carver County, [7:20] and then further north, [7:23] dissipated two miles southwest of [7:25] Waconia. [7:27] And there's, you know, again, just the [7:29] kind of damage this can do. This was an [7:31] F2. I'm I believe this was from the same [7:34] tornado. [7:35] And you can see that kind of damage of a [7:37] farmstead also. [7:39] So pretty remarkable what tornadoes can [7:43] do. Now we talk about Fidley which [7:46] really if you think about it was the [7:48] worst area in this outbreak. It was hit [7:50] by two separate tornadoes. The first one [7:54] touched down at 706 was on the ground [7:56] till 7:21. It was an F4 path length of [8:00] 6.8 miles. Killed three people and [8:02] injured 175. [8:05] touched down in southwestern Fidley and [8:07] traveled northeast through Fidley and [8:09] dissipated northeast of Latty Lake in [8:11] Blaine. So that was from 706 to 7:21. [8:15] Then there that tornado lifted. [8:18] You can see the damage here. A photo by [8:21] Robert Lattery. Just complete [8:22] destruction. Cars tossed into homes. [8:26] Just bedum. [8:28] This was the Fidley trailer terrace [8:30] trailer court near Highway 65 and 73rd [8:33] Avenue Northeast. I can't help but [8:36] believe some of the fatalities must have [8:38] come from this area. Then there was a [8:41] second tornado that touched down at [8:43] 8:14. They thought things were all clear [8:45] and fidly, but they weren't. 8:14 to [8:48] 902. Another F4. This one was on the [8:51] ground for 17 miles, killed six people, [8:54] and injured 158. It started near Golden [8:58] Valley and traveled across North [9:00] Minneapolis into Fidley through Mounds [9:02] View. Finally dissipated west of [9:04] Centerville up around Lino Lakes. [9:06] This was the Northern Ordinance Plant. [9:09] Look, it's sh it's shredded. I mean, it [9:11] was literally just like shredded by the [9:13] wind and the debris. Apparently, it was [9:16] hit twice. This is the area near where [9:18] the two tornado paths crossed at [9:20] different times. [9:22] Here's another photo of damage in [9:23] Fidley. [9:25] And here's a list, a more thorough list [9:27] of all of the tornadoes from that day. [9:31] Again, biggest outbreak in the Twin [9:33] Cities history. We've had larger [9:35] outbreaks during a day in Minnesota, but [9:38] never anything this concentrated and [9:40] never anything in a major urban area. [9:43] Now, let's talk about what they saw that [9:47] day and how warnings were communicated. [9:50] So WSR-57 [9:52] was the 10 cm wavelength radar um that [9:57] was installed in the early 60s. They had [9:59] one out at the airport and it was a [10:02] strong radar and you could see obviously [10:04] precipitation echoes. Radar was invented [10:07] in World War II because you can see [10:09] things moving in the air. Well, you can [10:11] also see hydrometeors, raindrops, hail, [10:14] those kind of things. So, the National [10:16] Weather Service had this radar, [10:20] and this is what the image looked like. [10:22] And I know this just looks like a big [10:23] smudge and a and a couple of blobs, but [10:26] what we're looking at here is this is [10:28] near the center of the Twin Cities. So, [10:30] this is kind of ground clutter, as we [10:32] would call it. The radar will hit trees [10:34] and buildings and give a return. But if [10:37] you start to look at here, you can see a [10:40] what's called a supercell thunderstorm [10:42] with an appendage trailing off it. Look [10:45] here, there's another one. Look up [10:47] there. There's another one. There's [10:49] another one. There's another one. Now, [10:51] they had overlays on these with [10:52] geography on it so they could see where [10:55] these things were. But that evening, 24 [10:58] separate hook echoes were noted on [11:01] radar. Not every hook hook echo has a [11:04] tornado, but that night most of them [11:06] did. Here's a loop of this for a couple [11:10] of hours in the evening. You can just [11:12] watch these cells moving slowly [11:14] northeast [11:16] in this kind of an environment in the [11:18] atmosphere. [11:20] Things are moving slowly. It's kind of [11:22] what we call a warm frontal zone and [11:24] moist air is feeding in underneath from [11:28] the south into these storms. And there's [11:31] not it's kind of a delicate situation. I [11:34] mean, tornadoes are so violent, you [11:36] think the atmosphere has to be just [11:38] raging and maybe it was above, but you [11:41] need just the right amount of lift and [11:43] you need just the right amount of [11:44] circulation and you need no big [11:46] northwest winds like destroying the [11:48] storms from the backside. It's very [11:50] delicate and this environment was [11:53] perfect for tornadoes for about well [11:55] three hours that evening. [11:58] Here's another still shot of the radar, [12:00] but you can see the hooks here. One, [12:02] there's a developing one. And there's a [12:04] pretty well-developed one. [12:06] So, this is what they were looking at on [12:08] radar when the National Weather Service [12:09] was getting out warnings that evening. [12:13] This is Moore, Oklahoma, which is one of [12:15] the most intense tornado ever observed. [12:18] This is in the '9s, but something we [12:22] know today. Just look at the geometry of [12:24] the storms. Okay, there's the storm and [12:26] there's the hook, the appendage. The [12:28] same as what we saw. Our tornado [12:32] outbreak was an Oklahoma style tornado [12:34] outbreak. We don't get those up here uh [12:38] very often at all, but I just wanted to [12:40] show you how similar that geometry is to [12:42] the strongest tornado ever observed. [12:45] They clocked winds over 300 miles an [12:47] hour with mobile Doppler units in this [12:50] storm. And what you can see there is [12:52] called a debris ball. That's stuff [12:55] getting lifted up into the atmosphere [12:56] and the radar sees it. [12:59] This is May 3rd, 1999. I might get the [13:02] year wrong. In Mo, Oklahoma. [13:05] So, what about the weather from that [13:06] day? The meteorology. [13:09] Well, just to orient you, here's [13:11] Minnesota, right? Here's a low pressure [13:13] system in South Dakota. Here's a warm [13:16] front dragging right through the Twin [13:18] Cities. Here's another one south. And [13:21] then the cold front or what we call an [13:22] occlusion behind. Very slowm moving low [13:26] pressure system. South winds ahead of [13:28] the system pumping in moisture, [13:31] pumping in warmer air. [13:34] Looking at due points, we got 62 71 71 [13:38] degrees was the temperature, 62 the due [13:40] point and due points in the 60s. So it [13:43] wasn't, you know, tropical tropical air. [13:46] there was enough moisture to work with, [13:48] but it's along these warm fronts in this [13:51] kind of a setup where you get what's [13:53] called shear and spin in the atmosphere. [13:56] So, this is a perfect setup in the low [13:58] levels for tornadoes. [14:01] Now, the upper level, the upper [14:03] atmosphere, this is a 500 millibar [14:05] chart, which is about 18,000 ft above [14:07] the ground level. You can see a dip [14:11] here. So, here's this what we would call [14:12] low pressure trough back in the Rockies. [14:16] And then in here, see how these lines [14:18] tighten up? That's uh an area of [14:21] stronger winds. It's what we call a jet [14:23] streak. So, in that area, the jetream is [14:26] blowing more quickly. And what that does [14:30] when you put it over and superimpose it [14:32] over that warm front at the surface, [14:34] it's going so fast that it creates like [14:36] a vacuum effect and it just sucks the [14:38] air up and it creates lift. [14:41] And that lift is what produced those [14:44] thunderstorms. And that low-level spin [14:47] and shear along that warmfront is what [14:50] produced those tornadoes. And that whole [14:52] package came together for about three [14:54] hours right over the Twin Cities. [14:57] Now, a lot of lives were saved that [15:00] night. Uh there were a lot of heroes. [15:02] The US Weather Bureau, as it was called [15:05] in the Twin Cities, and we call it the [15:07] National Weather Service now. It's part [15:08] of Noah. They saved a ton of lives. Jim [15:12] Stone, Dean Nestley, and Neil Lampy [15:15] issuing warnings on these storms. [15:18] This nothing like this had happened [15:20] before to this degree. The warnings were [15:23] timely. Uh it was also the first use of [15:26] civil defense sirens for severe weather [15:28] in Minnesota. They were people were [15:31] clear that this was going to be so bad [15:33] that what we used to call air raid or [15:34] civil defense sirens back then, they [15:37] said, "Blow them." you know, let's blow [15:38] the sirens. So, they did, and then that [15:41] became a common thing. Now, we use civil [15:45] defense sirens for tornado warnings. [15:48] WCCCO radio was key to saving so many [15:52] lives that day. um their innovative [15:55] continuous coverage where they just saw [15:57] this thing happening and Charlie Boon [16:00] and uh Dick Chapman and others got on [16:03] the air and just started talking about [16:06] the tornadoes and they were fielding [16:08] phone calls from people in the tornado [16:10] areas and they were this was an ongoing [16:13] continuous coverage situation where [16:16] people were calling in and saying what [16:17] they were seeing and they were relaying [16:20] warnings. It was a remarkable event and [16:23] it saved a lot of lives that evening [16:26] really between the weather service and [16:28] WCCCO radio. It was kind of the advent [16:30] of modern severe weather forecasting and [16:34] warning. This is a shot of uh I think [16:37] Dick Chapman and Charlie and uh folks [16:40] working at CCO radio that day. [16:43] And this is still that 1965 tornado [16:47] outbreak is listed by the climate folks [16:50] in the Minnesota climatologist office as [16:52] one of the top weather events in [16:54] Minnesota history in with the Dust Bowl, [16:57] the Armistice Day blizzard, the [16:59] Halloween blizzard, which is another key [17:02] point in my career that I worked. Should [17:04] we go down that road? No, I'm kidding. [17:08] and the uh Minnesota River flooding uh [17:11] red red river flooding and then the [17:13] Mississippi River flooding which by the [17:15] way was the same year as the tornadoes [17:17] right and just about a month earlier [17:20] quite a year 1965 [17:23] and so Met Council and some folks Kenny [17:26] Blumenfeld at the Minnesota Climate [17:28] Working Group you know drew a new map of [17:31] what if this same outbreak happened [17:33] again and you can see the increase in [17:37] population density in some of the areas [17:40] especially where these tornadoes went [17:42] through. So if something like that does [17:45] happen again, it won't be the same, but [17:46] it could rhyme. You know, it could be a [17:49] completely different situation in terms [17:51] of damage and and casualties, [17:55] which is why it's I literally have [17:59] nightmares sometimes [18:01] waking up that I missed a tornado on the [18:05] air. That's that's my world. Okay. [18:09] Someday I'll retire and maybe they'll go [18:10] away. But, you know, it was a remarkable [18:14] event and uh I know a lot of you were [18:18] there that day. And I know some of you [18:20] may remember this book, The Minnetonka [18:22] Tornado Story and Pictures. Have you [18:24] ever seen that? It's fantastic. It's [18:26] just got pictures of so many homes and [18:31] so many stories in that. And that's what [18:34] I've got for tonight. I can't wait to [18:36] hear from all of you in the audience and [18:38] we'll answer some questions too. But I [18:40] just want to thank you for inviting me [18:42] out here and all of you for coming out [18:44] and sharing this evening. Thank you so [18:46] much. [18:54] Okay, so it's time for you to share some [18:56] memories if you would like to. Okay, who [18:59] wants to start? [19:01] My family and I were driving into [19:04] Southdale to do some shopping. We didn't [19:07] have the radio or TV on at that time [19:09] because we went just at dinner time. [19:13] I was driving. I approached the area [19:17] just before Vineill Road. There were [19:20] semis turned over. Evergreens moving [19:24] across Highway 7. and a man stopped us [19:27] and he said a tornado just went through [19:30] and it's turning around and heading [19:32] toward Lake Benitanka. [19:34] So we just missed it going in. We turned [19:38] around [19:39] headed back to Mount and it's it was [19:42] following us through NAR. I got to the [19:46] intersection of what is now Congress and [19:52] the hail started and it sounded like [19:55] hammers pounding on the roof of our car. [19:59] We made it home. We lived in three [20:01] points at that time and we made it home [20:04] safely. [20:07] [Music] [20:08] [Applause] [20:11] Mine's a little more hair. Um, could you [20:14] ask people to stand up? I was 10 years [20:17] old. [20:18] Would you mind? Paul A. I was in [20:21] Cottagewood and please say your name and [20:25] maybe where you lived or something. Paul [20:27] Ahern. I I take the fifth. But [20:31] I was 10 years old in college, much [20:34] close to where Tim Herbert was. And I [20:37] was watching Johnny Quest. [20:43] Johnny Quest, which was a cartoon show. [20:46] My brother saw the tornado coming from [20:48] the southwest and told my grandmother [20:51] was over for her birthday party. My [20:54] uncle's house was two houses away and [20:56] they were having a birthday party for my [20:59] uncle's mother, another grandmother. And [21:02] the tornado came through and I missed [21:04] seeing it. But downstairs they say it [21:07] sounds like a train, right? Y and it did [21:11] sound like a train. In fact, on the [21:12] other side of Cadwood where my [21:14] grandmother lived, she went out and she [21:17] was only about five houses from where it [21:18] really hit badly in Cadwood. She walked [21:21] out to look for the train. I was [21:24] outside. Unfortunately was not hit. She [21:28] was not listening to WCCCO that night. [21:31] the next day. I know you see news [21:33] stories about about well what happens [21:37] after the day after there's a big event [21:40] like this and they always show kids they [21:42] have that fly on the cheek or tears [21:44] coming down. I don't know about you, [21:46] Tim. When my friends and I got together [21:48] the next day and saw all the [21:49] destruction, only one word immediately [21:52] came to our our heads for a 10-year-old. [21:56] Cool. This is the coolest thing we've [21:59] ever seen. And James Bond's gold thing [22:03] would come out the year before and there [22:05] were shingles everywhere. And we would [22:07] take the shingles and yell a job. Anyone [22:10] remember a job? And throw them at each [22:12] other. [22:14] Death. There was no death, but there was [22:15] lots of destruction. And it was lots of [22:18] fun for a 10-year-old. [22:21] So, real quickly, [22:25] I want to tie down with Paul real quick. [22:27] Case if you'll hand Paul the mic. Um, [22:30] tell us why tornadoes sound like trains. [22:32] Uh, I don't know, but I'll say this. [22:43] You ever seen that James Bond movie with [22:44] Odd Job in it? Yeah. That's why. No. Um, [22:48] it's called the Doppler effect. So when [22:51] when [22:52] sound travels through the air, it [22:56] travels at the speed of sound. But when [22:58] winds start to mess with that, it makes [23:02] it sound more like a freight train. Or [23:04] when a freight train goes by, it's [23:06] compressing sound. So you hear [23:09] and then you hear that because literally [23:11] the speed of the wind is messing with [23:14] the sound waves. Okay, destruction. Four [23:17] houses away was the Russell Wing house. [23:19] They went in the basement, came up, and [23:21] there was a slab of uh of concrete. uh [23:25] two house widths, my uncle's house and [23:27] my dad's little nine and a half boat was [23:30] taken up and went through the front [23:33] living room window of my uncle's house. [23:36] Uh he lost his roof across from his [23:39] house. An entire garage was lifted and I [23:42] believe was found in North. Hi, I'm Barb [23:45] and I was married to Tom Warner who is [23:48] who has passed away. Anyway, we lived in [23:51] Cottagewood um right across the street [23:54] from the Cottagewood grocery. We were [23:56] painting our house that day, my husband [23:58] and I, and we had our windows open [24:02] because we were painting the trim. We [24:03] were going to put our house on, we [24:05] wanted to put our house on the market. [24:07] Anyway, as we were paint, it was and my [24:10] mom and dad were there taking care of [24:11] our four children. Um we um when this [24:16] happened, Tom said, "It sounds there's a [24:19] there's a storm coming. We've got to get [24:21] to the basement. Get the kids. We'll get [24:23] to the basement." Which we did. When we [24:25] came up, uh Tom said, "I've got to go [24:29] and check out house to house to see if [24:31] people are okay." So, he started out. [24:33] Then, he went back to the house again [24:35] and put on his tennis shoes so he could [24:38] get through the the all the rubble and [24:40] stuff better. Um he went from house to [24:43] house and when he got down farther um I [24:47] don't remember the name of the people. I [24:50] think it may have been proven. Anyway, [24:53] um this lady had been her husband was in [24:57] invalid on the porch and she was over [24:59] him like this and um uh she the glass [25:04] came and literally sculpted her. She [25:07] came outside and said to Tom, "Oh, I've [25:10] got such migraine headache. It's just [25:12] terrible." Well, the blood was gushing [25:14] up. Anyway, so he carried her out and [25:18] and as far as I know, she was the only [25:20] one from the area that that died, but um [25:23] he got blood poisonings and um from [25:27] stepping on a rusty nail. So, he ended [25:29] up in the hospital the next day. But [25:30] anyway, before he before he went to the [25:33] hospital, he had to go over to to um [25:37] Mtown Beach to check out to see if the [25:39] sailboat was okay. [25:45] Hi, my name is Becky. It was Anthony at [25:47] the time and we lost our house in the [25:49] tornado. It came across Highway 7 just [25:52] east of Christmas Lake. Um, we were [25:55] between Cottagewood and Highway 7 and it [25:58] was on whatever night it was. But [26:00] anyway, my dad and brother were out [26:02] picking up the hailstones that he talked [26:04] about earlier to stick them in our [26:05] freezer so we could show people how big [26:07] these hailstones were. And my dad looked [26:10] up and he saw the tornado coming and [26:11] hollered for us to get in the basement. [26:13] We went to the stairs that was supposed [26:16] to be the southwest corner, I think they [26:18] told you to go to at that time, but we [26:20] ran. We had a split entry. So, we ran to [26:23] the stairs, the closet that was under [26:25] the split entry. We didn't have time to [26:27] go to the west corner. Anyway, the next [26:30] thing I remember is I was laying on the [26:32] basement floor and everything was gone. [26:35] We lost everything that day. We'd only [26:37] been in the house since o since May uh [26:39] October. We just built the house and [26:41] lost it. So, we lost everything that [26:44] day. Can I just say one thing, too? You [26:47] reminded me of back in the day. They [26:50] used to say go to the southwest corner [26:51] of the basement because they thought [26:53] that's the direction the tornado was [26:54] coming from and the debris would kind of [26:56] be blowing past you. And remember they [26:58] say open the windows uh an inch [27:02] because they thought the pressure drop [27:04] in the tornado made the houses explode. [27:07] Severe storms research and they the [27:09] engineers got involved structural [27:11] engineers and determined that really [27:13] none of that's true. The tornado damage [27:15] is actually caused by the wind itself [27:17] and often by the debris that's that's [27:21] lofted in the wind and so maybe a 2x4 [27:24] penetrates a house and then the wind [27:25] gets in there and then does the rest of [27:27] the damage. So interesting. Another [27:29] comment on that. Our neighbors who lived [27:31] right next door went to the southwest [27:33] corner. They all were injured. There was [27:36] six of us at home. None of us got hurt, [27:38] but they all four of them were hurt [27:40] severely. They were in the southwest [27:42] corner. Okay. And just one last thing [27:44] because now I'm hearing of more than one [27:46] injury and there was listed as none. The [27:49] the severe storm reporting was clearly [27:52] not as thorough as it has become [27:56] as far as injuries. [27:58] Okay. My name is Michael Richie. I grew [28:01] up on island. Lived there till I was 12 [28:03] years old. My family moved in the a [28:08] couple years before the tornado hit. [28:10] However, my father Richard Richie was [28:13] still on the Island Park Fire Department [28:16] and he and my uncle Bill Helms got [28:19] called and asked to respond to the whole [28:22] situation and we're out here for a [28:25] couple of days afterwards. Uh, three of [28:28] our neighbors died, Mr. and Mrs. Pollson [28:32] and I can't remember Julia's last name. [28:35] Is Debbie Carlson here by any chance? [28:37] Okay. Julia, who as I understand was an [28:40] elderly lady, actually died in the [28:42] Tharlson's living room as the tornado [28:45] was going by. And there's what used to [28:48] be called Brighton Common Lane is now [28:51] Julia Road on Island Park. So, my memory [28:54] is basically [28:56] what my father and my uncle did as far [28:58] as responding goes and the fact that uh [29:01] the neighbors were killed. One of the [29:03] things that my parents found out later [29:06] was that the Pollson's [29:09] uh the deed to their house was found [29:11] blowing around in a yard in Weisetta the [29:13] next day. [29:16] Uh one of the houses that was destroyed [29:20] was that house of the Wickers. My extra [29:23] pair of grandparents. Let me explain. My [29:26] cousin Arrel Anderson is in the back. [29:29] Her grandparents were the Wickers. And [29:32] that's exactly where the tornado hit. [29:35] And uh so we're very familiar with all [29:38] of that that whole area. And uh one of [29:42] the things I tried to do before this [29:44] meeting and when I heard the meeting was [29:45] coming up is seen a lot of pictures of [29:48] the damage. So I've been dealing going [29:50] through the family archives with the [29:52] help of my cousin Arland who's in the [29:54] back row here to take pictures of some [29:57] of the houses before they got knocked [29:59] down. So we have a couple nice shots of [30:00] the Wicker's house for instance, the [30:02] Wickner condo and in the background of [30:05] some of them you can see the Pollson's [30:06] house which was next to the Wicker. So [30:09] we've got a lot of that and uh it's been [30:12] an interesting thing for me and I [30:14] appreciate being invited to come. [30:17] [Applause] [30:22] Hi, [30:24] my name is Mary Cipher Shaw and I was [30:27] visited by the tornado that came across [30:30] Christmas Lake and took off the third [30:32] floor of our house. Except three things [30:34] to say about that. One, we lived on the [30:38] hill and there were live fish in our [30:40] lot. [30:42] two, [30:44] the Thunderbird was out in front of the [30:46] house and a few days and it was there [30:50] after the tornado in the same place. I [30:53] was driving it back and forth to work as [30:55] it turned out my father had a patient. [30:58] He said, "Hey, doc, I saw your car up in [31:01] the air." They figured it had to have [31:03] been [31:05] 90 ft in the air because um from where [31:09] the his vantage point was and where the [31:11] car was. But that tornado although it [31:13] was full of shingles and things, they [31:15] came and put it right back down in the [31:17] same spot [31:20] and we were riding it. And the third [31:21] thing I have to say is that Homer [31:23] Martin, who was the pro at Boys at a [31:25] Country Club, he said, "I knew it hit [31:27] your folks home because your cancel [31:29] check spell. [31:37] Was anyone here driving east on 7 on [31:39] that afternoon?" [31:42] Nobody. I'm sorry. Well, I'd been [31:44] commissioned to go down to Seven High to [31:46] drink with my little brother at the Ben [31:47] Franklin and I was heading east on Seven [31:51] and listening to KDWB [31:54] and all of a sudden I heard a noise I'd [31:56] never heard before and it was the sirens [31:58] going off. I'd never heard them before. [32:00] So, I pulled right into my girlfriend's [32:02] house. Her dad owned the Ben Franklin [32:04] and Excelsier, the Gainers, and her mama [32:07] was just standing in the kitchen frying [32:09] hamburgers. [32:11] And we Pam and I went down to the [32:13] basement. Nothing happened. Nothing [32:15] happened. So I got up and left. And I [32:18] don't I didn't actually I saw debris go [32:21] across seven and I saw 18-wheeler that I [32:24] think was up at Sunrise Cemetery. He [32:26] maybe pulled over for safety and it [32:29] landed on the other side of the highway. [32:31] So I went flying into Seven High like [32:33] Chicken Little, you know, and the sky is [32:35] falling. [32:37] And when I left and came back, that [32:39] trucker was still there. His his at lure [32:42] was flipped over. So, uh, got home, my [32:45] dad had turned out he had followed the [32:47] one of the western tornadoes home on [32:50] either Highway 7 or Highway 5. And, uh, [32:53] he came home, his eyes were like this, [32:54] and I said, "Forget about it. Promise [32:56] tomorrow I got to get this dress [32:58] finished." [33:00] And I didn't know Steve Berky also saw [33:03] that truck on Highway 7, but I don't see [33:04] Steve here tonight. So anyway, that's my [33:07] story. [33:09] [Applause] [33:14] Hi, I'm Mark uh Gunners and I my dad [33:17] worked for the street department in [33:19] Excelsure [33:21] at that on that night and he got a call [33:24] to go out and clean storm drains and I [33:28] was 13 at the time and so he said, "Come [33:31] on, we're going to go clean storm [33:33] drains." And it took my brother and I [33:36] and I remember standing on the hill [33:39] above the Commons and looking to the [33:41] east and we could see the tornado that [33:45] went through Christmas Lake and then we [33:47] watched the one that went across through [33:50] Excelsure Bay and hit Cottage and the [33:54] thing that I remember was how dark it [33:57] was and that green was really green but [34:01] it was just so for that early in the [34:04] evening. It was just so dark and [34:07] excellent as I remember it. I didn't get [34:11] pounded. But um the next day I I was at [34:16] and I was went to Sunday school at Mount [34:18] Calvary and um they got our class and I [34:23] remember Phil Buck. I graduated in 69 [34:26] from Minnitanka, but he I remember Phil [34:29] Buck and I because we had some [34:31] experience with my my dad sold firewood [34:34] and stuff and so I knew I actually knew [34:36] how to run a chainsaw. So we we went out [34:40] over by the Highway 7 area. You remember [34:43] that um rest area? There's that um [34:46] monument up there and just everything [34:48] was just gone over there. [34:51] And we had a bunch of us from Cal that [34:53] went over there and uh the next day and [34:58] the thing that I that I kind of am [35:00] amazed at is everybody came out, you [35:04] know, with all the disaster and all the [35:08] loss. There were so many people out [35:12] a day later lending hand to everybody [35:15] else was it was pretty cool actually. [35:18] And so as much destruction as it was, [35:22] the entire community came together and I [35:25] I'm I'm kind of amazed at how fast the [35:28] recovery actually took place. But it was [35:30] it was a hell of a night. [35:38] I'm at Mass Bassie and I'm a cottagewood [35:42] kid and I know we've got other college [35:45] kids here. Um, my brother Eddie and I uh [35:48] went through the tornado together. Uh, I [35:51] was in the second grade. Eddie was in [35:53] preschool. Uh, I remember that day. It [35:56] was a Thursday and there was a teacher [35:59] workshop about once a month. Minnetonka [36:02] had a teacher workshop and um, so we had [36:05] a half day. We were all out playing in [36:08] the neighborhood, skateboarding down [36:11] from Thompson's Point. And we came home [36:14] when the dinner bells all bang and uh my [36:17] sister, our older sister Peggy, um she [36:20] was trying to get her Girl Scout badge. [36:22] So, she was making dinner that night and [36:24] I think it was boiled hot dogs. Uh and [36:27] my mom was listening to WCCCO radio. My [36:31] um father was our father was not home [36:33] yet from work. And all of a sudden, my [36:36] mom just, you know, like said, "Kids, [36:39] get down to the basement. You got to go [36:40] down there. You got to go down." Our [36:42] house is was on um Lake View Avenue on [36:45] the lake and um we actually had a bomb [36:48] shelter down there like a lot of people [36:50] did, but my my mother is very [36:52] claustrophobic. So um she did not want [36:54] to go in that bomb shelter. So we went [36:57] behind um a bar and um all of a sudden [37:00] she realized with all these glasses, you [37:03] know, the way the direction of the the [37:06] tornado was coming, I mean, we could all [37:07] be killed from the glasses. So she laid [37:10] on top of us and we just laid there. We [37:13] were like, "Oh, what is she doing?" And [37:14] we just and all of a sudden we heard the [37:17] train come through. It was like a bomb [37:19] went off and um we finally got up. In [37:22] fact, Eddie was in shock or we were [37:25] suffocating him underneath the bottle. [37:28] And um we got up and it was a walk out [37:31] to the lake and we couldn't see out any [37:33] of the windows because all the wood from [37:36] the boatous along the shore was up [37:38] against uh the house. And um we finally [37:42] walked upstairs and the doors um um were [37:46] closed to the lower level and we opened [37:48] them and um it was similar to the Wizard [37:51] of Oz the movie when it opened to all [37:54] the color from the black and white but [37:56] it was almost the opposite because we [37:58] went out then there was just so much [38:01] destruction and um our house was you [38:04] know blown apart and um it was it was [38:07] really scary. It was a really scary [38:09] scary night. um for all of us. [38:13] [Applause] [38:17] Yeah. I'm Chris Thompson, also from uh [38:20] Cottagewood uh neighborhood and closer [38:23] to two months ago. Um I just want to say [38:26] a couple things um that were unique I [38:28] think that we found out about that [38:30] night. I asked Paul also why does the [38:33] sky look so green and yellow as it did? [38:35] Um, but anyways, one of the things we [38:37] noticed the next day was, and one of the [38:40] local policemen pointed this out, was a [38:42] piece of straw that had been driven into [38:44] a telephone pole. And it was [38:48] unbelievable. And just that's how much [38:52] force of the wind was able to drive the [38:54] straw into the telephone pole. Mhm. Um, [38:59] and like Betsy said, our mom had us in [39:01] the basement [39:03] spread eagle under her arms, listening [39:06] to the uh roar of the of the train and [39:10] all the breaking of the glass. We had a [39:11] big old three-story house and every [39:13] single window and the china cabinet, [39:15] everything was just broke into pieces. [39:17] And I and one last thing, and that is [39:20] the sound of chainsaws went on for weeks [39:23] and I still can remember that. Um, [39:26] that sound. So, [39:30] thank you. [39:33] Hey, um Chris, I just jumped in quick. I [39:36] thought thank you for that question. And [39:38] by the way, it is so good to see old [39:40] friends who I haven't seen for so long [39:42] tonight. So, thank you all for coming [39:43] out. Um the green tint to the sky is [39:47] primarily because of hail. Hail refracts [39:50] the light and breaks it up into like [39:52] colors of the prism and the green tends [39:55] to bounce around and make its way [39:57] through because the other colors get [39:58] scattered out. So that's why when you [40:02] get hail like that and clouds that are [40:04] 50 to 60,000 ft tall, that's why it gets [40:07] so dark and why you can get funky things [40:10] happening with the light spectrum. [40:14] So I have a I have a story. Um my cousin [40:17] Michael spoke up here earlier and um he [40:20] talked about the Pollsons and my [40:22] grandparents who live next door. Um my [40:25] grandparents had a place in Edina and [40:27] they had a cottage out at the out on the [40:29] eastern most shore of Lake of uh Cooks [40:31] Bay where our cottage currently is cuz [40:34] it missed the tornado by about five [40:36] houses. But um the Pollsons asked my [40:40] grandparents if they wanted to come wait [40:42] out the storm in their basement and my [40:44] grandparents said no thank you we going [40:46] to go home now no you know and they went [40:48] home to and the false got killed in the [40:51] tornado [40:53] and so yeah that was close and I want to [40:56] say I'm the same age as you. So, this is [40:58] also one of my kind of core memories is [41:00] walking down the comments to go show my [41:03] grandma the fish that that I had caught [41:05] that day and I was a little tight and um [41:09] just the memory of walking up the steps [41:11] and there being no house there anymore. [41:15] And let's see, I have something else I [41:16] wanted to share. Oh, Julia. We talked [41:19] Michael talked about Julia. She died in [41:22] the storm, but she died after the storm. [41:24] She had a heart attack when she came up [41:26] from the basement after waiting out the [41:29] storm at Carlson's house on the island. [41:32] And uh she was she died of a heart [41:34] attack apparently from the shock of [41:36] seeing the damage. So, but I'm glad that [41:40] this core memory uh turned into your [41:42] wonderful career because I'm an admirer [41:51] for Paul. You didn't mention Ferndale. [41:55] Ferndale was pretty heavily damaged with [41:58] all those fancy houses. Uh that didn't [42:01] get mentioned. I'm wondering how [42:02] significant that really [42:07] I haven't seen a lot of pictures from [42:09] there, but tail end of that deep haven [42:12] tornado that did go up through [42:14] Northolome and then apparently lifted [42:16] near or after Ferndale. So, it's quite [42:18] conceivable that was the the one that [42:21] did it. [42:23] My name is D and at the time I started [42:27] in three points my husband and I were [42:31] I was working [42:35] I was working at the national tea in M [42:40] which now I think is the hand was in a [42:43] little strip. Anyhow, the manager and I [42:46] were working that night and the storm [42:48] hit. We could see cars, [42:52] hordes, ducks, everything flying by and [42:56] we were really scared and I was [42:59] wondering if I could see my two little [43:01] girls and my husband again. And there [43:03] were so many times that that we spent in [43:05] the basement that summer. Also, Island [43:10] Park was just disaster. And I I really [43:13] applaud the fire people who helped out [43:15] with that. Thank you. [43:22] John Woodburn. I am a cottagewood kid. [43:25] Eddie, we sailed together. Um, who [43:28] remembers smacks driving? [43:31] There you go. I was The Woodburn family [43:33] was at Smax Drive in May 6 at the time [43:36] of the tornado. Um, I was five. Um our [43:41] house is the first house in Cottagewood [43:43] and um I just remember we got there um [43:47] dad had come home from work from [43:49] Honeywell and as I recall I may have [43:52] been a little bit [43:54] into the mic. Yeah. And mom mom mom [43:57] wanted to go out for dinner so we went [43:58] out to Smacks and and they had a inside [44:01] area and the thing I remember is a woman [44:06] um screams out tornado and I look up. I [44:10] didn't know what was going on. What? [44:11] What's a tornado? I got shoved [44:13] underneath the table. I mean smacks [44:16] there's no place to go, right? I didn't [44:18] realize till today [44:20] really how close we were to the path of [44:23] the tornado. Um, and it was a wet, muddy [44:28] spring. It was just muddy underneath [44:29] there. And I guess my memory is I was [44:32] hungry. And I come ask your mom's going [44:35] to get my hamburger. [44:38] Hey. Hey, John. Where was Smacks? Remind [44:40] me. Where was Vineill Road and um Okay. [44:45] Okay. So, not Snuffies, but up on Vine [44:48] Hill, not 101. Okay. [44:51] In change, oil change there. [45:01] Yeah. [45:03] Oh, there you go. Yeah. Yeah. So, but I [45:06] I just want to reiterate that as a kid, [45:10] it was a blast. We played tornado all [45:13] summer long. [45:17] Grandma Ann and Grandpa Fred were [45:20] elderly couple. They're kind of [45:21] neighborhood grandparents. who lived [45:23] right next door to us. Their story was [45:26] um [45:28] they were in the basement and all a [45:30] sudden they saw immediately like [45:32] their foundation lifted up maybe 6 in or [45:36] so. I don't I don't know how much but [45:38] they literally could see out to our [45:41] benefit as kids. They just took that [45:43] house down in this big sand pit. So we [45:45] got to play in the sand pit. Yeah, it [45:48] was good. But I I do want to recall the [45:50] the community coming together. Um [45:53] there's a lot of engineers. The Hulk's [45:55] Don Hulk. There's a um he was in the [45:59] plumbing business and uh his daughter. [46:06] Um well that's Dee. So that No, this was [46:09] um [46:11] Yeah. And Annick and then Hick and [46:15] Charlie. Yeah. and Fran Cran houses that [46:18] he's been apparently in his business [46:20] when they sold his house were the plans [46:23] the plumbing plans for about half houses [46:26] and cottage. So he you know the [46:29] community really kind of came together [46:30] afterwards. Um so yeah it was good. I [46:34] mean it wasn't good. [46:39] All right I'll share another family [46:41] story apparently. So this dev station [46:43] looks like a bomb's gone off. My dad's [46:45] being interviewed. So, we've got a 900 [46:47] foot house. Um, I'm sleeping in cinder [46:51] block basement next to the washer and [46:54] dryer. So, they've got plans to build, [46:55] right? You know, they're working on it. [46:57] We're a growing family and so forth. [46:58] They want to have another kid. And [47:00] apparently the radio interview asked [47:03] them, you know, it's just this [47:04] devastation, right? Dad's going, "Well, [47:08] it's not so bad. I mean, the family [47:11] wasn't hurt, right? [47:13] And in his later years, as I talked to [47:16] him, he got to build a house and he [47:19] lived till he was 94 just a couple years [47:21] ago. And as I talked to him with his [47:24] life, [47:26] big thing was building this house. So [47:30] there's positives that came out. [47:32] [Applause] [47:37] We did not play tornado cover. [47:41] Um, my family, we grew up on Dun Woody [47:44] Avenue and mom and I were going to [47:46] motheraughter banquet and the sky got [47:48] weird. My dad was a car fanatic. Mom [47:52] said, "If we get hail in this car, we [47:54] are in such deep duty." So, we turned [47:57] around, went back, stopped at the Dairy [47:59] Queen, and the guy goes, "Get the heck [48:01] out of here." So, we go back home to [48:03] Dunwhaty Avenue. My dad and four [48:06] brothers were out in the basement and [48:08] minutes later this train roared over and [48:12] just demolished our home and we were um [48:16] we were not able to get out until the [48:18] next day until the National Guard could [48:20] get us out. So we don't play tornado. [48:26] Where was your home? on Dunen Woody [48:29] Avenue that leads to Castle Point, [48:31] Spring Park and it landed on our house. [48:35] Yeah. Michael Mason, I live in Spring [48:38] Park in the '9s. There was a straight [48:41] line wind that hit Spring Park and Bar [48:44] and could you just explain the I mean it [48:47] did the same kind of damage that a [48:48] tornado. Could you explain the [48:50] difference between spring and the damage [48:52] a tornado does? Sure. Yeah. We I always [48:56] tell people when I'm in severe weather [48:58] coverage because people tend to not give [49:01] severe thunderstorm warnings as much [49:03] respect as tornado warnings that it [49:06] doesn't matter what kind of storm did [49:08] the damage to your house. It's all wind. [49:11] So tornadoes have that circulation and [49:13] it goes up into the parent thunderstorm [49:16] and the winds are rotating around that [49:19] and so they when they hit a home for [49:21] example they could come from two [49:22] different directions. It could hit from [49:24] the left side and then it passes and hit [49:26] again from the right side. And so that [49:28] can have kind of a dual effect on [49:31] weakening the home one way and then [49:33] hitting it the other way. Severe [49:35] thunderstorms are simply what we call [49:37] straight line winds. They're a [49:38] thunderstorm will drop out a gust front. [49:41] When the hail and the rain falls, the [49:44] air is cooling and that uh hail has mass [49:48] and the rain and so it creates this [49:50] tremendous gush of wind. Think of it as [49:52] a hose. Like if you turn your hose on [49:54] and you point it down at the ground, [49:56] it'll hit the ground and then it kind of [49:58] spreads out like that. That's called a [50:01] downburst. And that wind, those winds [50:03] can be as strong as tornadoes. They can [50:05] be over a 100 miles an hour. So if you [50:07] get that kind of a wind, it can do [50:09] similar damage to a tornado. [50:12] Hey, my name is Wner. [50:16] I should follow [50:18] for the weather bureau. The tornado 65 [50:23] was my second tornado I went into. Uh, [50:26] first one in 1958 in Fargo. [50:31] One in 65. We went over Lake Golf [50:34] Course. [50:36] I do remember finding a piece of hail [50:38] that was bigger than a canyon. [50:41] And I remember that because I used my [50:43] good kitchen dice. [50:52] All right. I'm John Chandler and we grew [50:55] up on just a shoreline out of Smithtown [50:59] Bay. So we were looking towards Boy [51:01] Scout Island and then it was Spring Park [51:04] over there. And I don't remember the [51:07] exact sequence, but you know, the wind [51:09] came, then the rain, then the hail, and [51:12] then and the green clouds and the green [51:15] clouds had those puffs underneath them. [51:17] Maybe you can explain that. And then [51:20] everything went silent, just completely [51:23] quiet. And then we looked out across the [51:25] lake and then there was just this huge [51:28] black wide tornado. And it didn't move [51:31] very fast. just kind of slowly went [51:34] along that shoreline and just sucked up [51:36] everything. Yeah. And we just watched it [51:39] go across. And then the next day, being [51:42] little kids, we got the fishing boat out [51:43] and went over and look. And in contrast [51:48] to all these other damage scenes, you [51:50] know, where there's all this debris, it [51:52] was completely vacuumed clean. There [51:55] were no trees, no houses, no nothing. [51:58] you know, just bare ground and little [52:01] stubbles here and there. So, I don't [52:03] know if that means that the wind is [52:04] stronger over there or what, but it's [52:07] just giant vacuum. [52:10] Yeah. The uh the puffy clouds underneath [52:12] are called the mattis clouds. And if you [52:15] think of the circulation in a [52:17] thunderstorm, it's it's like a big [52:19] convection current goes up in the middle [52:22] and then comes down on the outsides. And [52:24] so sometimes in those severe storms when [52:26] we get severe updrafts and downdrafts, [52:28] the uh bottom of the cloud, the winds [52:31] can kind of punch through on the edges [52:33] lower as they're kind of dissipating, [52:36] but you see those mammatus clouds form [52:38] on the bottom. That's usually a sign of [52:40] a severe thunderstorm. [52:42] I'm Jackie Rean and at the time I was [52:45] living in Minneapolis, but I have a [52:47] different kind of story and I I'm sorry [52:49] for any of you who had destruction or or [52:53] problems within the family. Mine's a [52:56] little different because that night my [52:59] husband to be and I were at Jacob's [53:02] Jewelry on Nichollet Mall designing [53:06] engagement and wedding rings. And we [53:08] were kind of aware, at least I was, that [53:11] it got kind of dark outside and people [53:13] were coming in. They were really wet, [53:15] but they weren't coming all the way into [53:17] the jewelry store, just in into the [53:20] doorway. But we didn't pay any [53:22] attention. We had other things on our [53:25] mind. We got done with that, went [53:28] outside. It was sunny, and we picked up [53:31] some food and took it to my uh husband [53:34] De's apartment. We're eating. phone call [53:37] came a friend of my husband's or my [53:39] husband's feet and Tom said well what [53:42] are you going to do tomorrow John [53:45] says it's Friday go to work no you're [53:48] not my husband worked at Po the roof was [53:51] blown off the building while we were [53:54] looking at the rings [53:58] where was it well PCO was just off [54:01] Valley Road [54:03] um it would be west of Highway All [54:07] right, I'll share one quick one while [54:09] Casey's taking the mic back. You're [54:11] going to have to meet me halfway. So, I [54:13] was young and I have these very random [54:15] scattered memories of the tornado. I [54:18] remember we didn't have school that day, [54:19] so we were playing in the afternoon and [54:22] I remember it was beautiful sun and then [54:23] all of a sudden huge hail balls that [54:26] like everybody we saved to put them in [54:28] the freezer. [54:29] And then I remember that it was pea [54:31] green. Never seen that green before [54:34] except in my dad's homemade pea soup. [54:38] Seriously, it was the very same green. [54:39] It was like, "Wow, dad." [54:42] And this immense silence [54:45] and then this huge train sound. My [54:49] brother, who was quite a bit older than [54:50] me, wanted to be a weatherman, as he [54:53] called it, and he had gotten a [54:54] barometric pressure thing for Christmas. [54:56] I don't know what it was, but hung on [54:58] the wall in our dining room, and he just [55:00] adored it. He was so excited all day. He [55:02] kept going up and reading the dials and [55:04] saying, "Oh, this is going to be big. [55:06] This is going to be big." And I adored [55:08] my brother. So, I was like, "Oh, I'm [55:09] excited. It's going to be big. I don't [55:11] know what it is." And then we lived on [55:13] St. Alms Bay. So, if any of you know [55:15] that side of the lake, we lived on the [55:18] five corner mana roadside. [55:20] So, anyways, Mike tore out of the house [55:23] and being a fan of my brother Mike, I [55:25] tore out of the house after him and we [55:27] stood outside during the whole tornado. [55:30] We didn't have a basement in our house. [55:31] So, I don't know what everybody else [55:33] did, but we stood at the end of the [55:35] driveway and I watched the funnel come [55:37] over St. Elms Bay and it sucked all the [55:40] water up. Speaking about that water and [55:42] fish thing, it sucked all the water up [55:44] and I remember saying to my brother, [55:45] "It's raining up. It's raining up." Cuz [55:48] I could see all the water being sucked [55:49] up. I don't remember anything about [55:50] fish. Um, and we thankfully had no [55:54] damage and nobody near us did, but we [55:57] weren't very far from Gainesberry and [55:59] that part of the neighborhood up in [56:00] Matter Park where there was a lot more [56:02] damage done. So, you know, as a little [56:05] kid, I have these random bits and pieces [56:06] of memories and I kind of can't even [56:08] remember which order they came in [56:10] necessarily, but I actually saw a funnel [56:14] kind today. Yeah, I would say it's kind [56:16] of cool to have seen it, but um I [56:18] appreciate that there was a lot of [56:21] levity and laughter tonight, too, cuz [56:23] it's a sad topic, too. That gentleman [56:25] has a mic and then I'll bring you next. [56:28] Yeah, my name is Rod Scanfield and I had [56:31] the pleasure of being a senior at High [56:33] School. Can you talk a little more into [56:35] the mic? Yeah, senior high school in [56:38] 1965 [56:40] and we lived in Excels here in Gideon's [56:42] Bay. We had a nice seven milei view from [56:45] Excels right down to and I remember [56:48] sitting on the front steps and we [56:50] watched two tornadoes at once go across [56:52] the lake. was the one that went from the [56:54] bar went across the lake towards and [56:57] then the other was over on the other [56:59] side by the shelves here and we watched [57:02] from both my sister was with me I think [57:04] she's here tonight and um [57:08] within an hour then of uh of the of [57:12] seeing those tornadoes a friend of mine [57:14] got in a got in a car and drove as far [57:16] as they could over towards Cottagewood [57:19] because we had a number of friends who [57:20] lived in Cottagewood the the hours, the [57:23] Brookses and the [57:27] some other people. And we spent a couple [57:30] hours just helping people get out their [57:32] front doors. I mean, what was left of [57:34] them cuz there were trees everywhere. [57:36] The closest we could get to Cottagewood [57:39] was basically by the Deep Haven City [57:42] Hall and tennis court, but it was it [57:46] took us, you know, it took us probably [57:48] an hour or two hours just to get to the [57:50] tip of the 20 minutes. [57:54] So anyway, made for a a really unusual [57:58] uh unusual senior year. [58:03] [Applause] [58:08] And to follow up on Jony's comment, so I [58:12] grew up [58:15] right there right behind you right [58:18] there. Okay, Joanie, you grew up right [58:21] next to me right there. We were very [58:23] close. We didn't know. So I was 7 years [58:26] old and so you know it's hailing. It's a [58:30] big storm. I remember it was very quiet [58:32] before all the action hit. And when when [58:35] it happened, we had a a station wagon. [58:38] The stage wagons in the garage. We put [58:39] down the tailgate. We're all sitting [58:41] outside on the station wagon tailgate [58:44] watching the hail come down, running up [58:46] and grabbing some hail stands and coming [58:48] down. And anyways, so my oldest brother [58:52] goes around the side of the garage. He [58:53] goes, "Hey, dad, come here. Look at [58:55] this. This is really cool. You should [58:57] see this cloud." [59:00] So my dad went over there and [59:01] immediately grabbed all of us kids into [59:04] the house and of course my mother was [59:06] washing the floor. So she said, "You [59:08] can't come through here." [59:12] So we made it to the basement and that [59:14] was the tornado. So we saw that same [59:17] tornado that you were watching as it [59:19] came by and then it went in and just [59:21] trashed. I saw it first. I saw it first. [59:27] But I I also remembered that you know I [59:29] was in kindergarten at the time and the [59:32] the next time we went to school it was [59:35] almost like half the class wasn't there [59:38] and many of them never returned and it [59:40] was because they had to move away their [59:42] homes were gone you know so they went [59:44] somewhere else but and it was May so of [59:46] course there was only one month left but [59:49] the other thing I also remember was [59:51] everybody helping out and so I remember [59:53] we made sandwiches and we took them over [59:55] to Christmas lake and everything was [59:58] barricaded. So you pull up there and [60:00] you'd open up the tailgate and then they [60:01] would come out and have sandwiches and [60:03] things like that. But it was the [60:05] community really did come together for [60:07] Yeah, it was quite good. [60:14] Are we good? We thank you so much for [60:17] being here tonight.