MPR’s Tim Post reports on how residents of Granite Falls spent the day cleaning up and assessing damage after a tornado ripped through town on Tuesday night. Hundreds of homes were pulverized on the westside of town. Post talked with homeowners as they were allowed back into damaged areas of town to collect personal items.
13 tornadoes were confirmed in Minnesota on July 25, 2000. The most devastating traveled nine miles through parts of Yellow Medicine County and hit portions of Granite Falls, causing destruction of 41 houses, 300 damaged buildings, and one fatality. The damage in Granite Falls was caused by F2 and F3 winds speeds, with a tornado being classified a minimal F4 based on the twisted wreckage of an overturned railroad car.
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TIM POST: The town of Granite Falls woke up Wednesday to the sound of helicopters circling overhead and dump trucks barreling through the streets loaded with debris. Hundreds of homes on the west side of town were pulverized by Tuesday night's tornado. The entire town is covered in a layer of debris, insulation, shingles, and the occasional window curtain.
Local officials are calling for quick action by the state and federal government to lend a hand. They want Governor Ventura to provide emergency assistance to victims. After a long night, homeowners were finally allowed back for a look at their damaged homes. The National Guard let only power crews into the area at first. They wanted to make sure it was safe.
Then, city crews entered with dump trucks to clean up the streets. Erik Knudsen and his wife, Serena, sat in their car waiting for a chance to see what was left of their home. Knudsen was losing patience. He knew that all of the windows in his house were blown in and the roof partially pulled off. He just wants to get to work.
ERIK KNUDSEN: Now, I Just got to get in there and start cleaning up. I guess take one day at a time. I guess that, and they keep jerking us around here.
TIM POST: They're not letting you--
ERIK KNUDSEN: No. Last night, they told us to leave our houses, which I didn't think was right. When I read that, they were still, keep the rain out. So that we get our passes, we're supposed to get back in in the morning at 7:00 if we got these passes. Now they tell us we can't go back in, until who knows when. Maybe 1:00 or 2:00, I don't know.
TIM POST: Homeowners gathered by the hundreds in a parking lot near the entrance of the damaged neighborhood. Most looked tired after a stressful night. Milton and Avis Sickmann spent the night a few miles away in Woodlake after the tornado destroyed their garage, threw their cars around, and blew trees over in their yard. Milton Sickmann knows they have a lot of work ahead of them.
MILTO SICKMANN: We can go in with a carload of people. We get necessitate things that we've got to get out of the house, and then that's it for the day. Tomorrow, we'll have to come back and start cleaning up the trash. It's going to be a long time to get things put back in shape again. Some of the stuff, we'll never see them back in shape. Our big trees are all gone. Kind of sad.
TIM POST: By one estimate, 800 people were displaced or homeless from the storm. The Salvation Army is providing assistance. Bill Coleman is the group's director of disaster services.
BILL COLEMAN: The spirits are good. They're trying to cope. They're out. They may be in a daze or they're shocked, but they're cleaning up. And people that don't have a lot of damage are pretty thankful for that. And people that have just sustained a lot of damage, of course, are going to be more upset about it. Again, we'll see what we can do to help comfort them.
TIM POST: Coleman says the Salvation Army will be in Granite Falls over the next few weeks to lend a hand. The Red Cross is also in town. After providing the basics to victims, clothes, medicine, food, and shelter, they'll start to help the community heal emotionally. Bob Meyer, who directs the Red Cross operation in Granite Falls, says counselors are trying to help residents deal with this tragedy immediately and also in the future.
BOB MEYER: Certain things can manifest themselves at a later time, maybe behavioral problems in the kids. They won't be doing as well as they were in school. Maybe they revert back to bedwetting. And some of those signs and symptoms that they can look for. And just, they can watch the kids or each other for maybe a behavior that really isn't typical of that person.
TIM POST: The residents of Granite Falls have experienced disaster before. Three years ago, the city battled floods along the Minnesota River. City officials say, like that experience, this cleanup will take a few days, and the recovery effort will stretch out for weeks and months. Tim Post, Minnesota Public Radio, Collegeville.