First week of spring brings first tornado of the year

Monday evening, March 23, the first tornado of the spring swept through rural Montgomery County, causing significant damage to farmsteads, residences and even a cemetery. No injuries were reported.

Kevin Norris, Montgomery County Emergency Management Director, said that the storm’s damage would not meet the standards to declare the county a disaster.

“The storm Monday night was significant, but there was not enough damage to make a county disaster declaration,” Norris said.

Norris, who began his duties in early January, said he had spent most of Monday evening with individuals whose homes or property had experienced considerable damage.

Among those in the path of the storm were Lee and Darla Brooke’s farmstead and the garage at the Bethesda Lutheran parsonage. From there the tornado moved on toward Dennis and Lynn Meier’s home, where it took down trees and threw one against their west window, causing severe damage. Moments earlier, Lynn had been sitting with clients in the adjacent room and, outside, her son had driven under the tree that was seconds from lying across the driveway.

The tornado did damage to the Darrell Herzberg farm and caused damage as it moved on up toward Tinville. Apparently most of its fury was released in the Tinville area, destroying trees at Arlington Cemetery and doing considerable damage to the house and farmyard of Jim and LaDonna Raney before uprooting trees at Phil Larson’s and moving on to cause roof damage and slay trees at Derrick Walters’ home place.

“In one way it was a blessing,” Jim Raney said, surrounded by friends and neighbors who stood with him to figure out how keep rain and weather from causing more harm to all that was once had a roof overhead. “You get to meet more people and take time for neighbors. And for one thing, we’re still alive.”

The Raneys had been following the storm. Their son had called and told them to be aware of the storm. LaDonna likes watching basketball and with their thinking they weren’t in the pathway at that time, she’d switched the T.V. back to a ballgame. Jim was outside watching the storm’s approach when their grandson from Pella called and told LaDonna, “You and Grandpa get to the basement right now!”

LaDonna said she’d made it downstairs to crawl under the stairway when her husband came in yelling that the storm was upon them and they needed to be downstairs. Jim started down but stopped when he heard the house get hit and windows shattering.

After the storm, the Raney’s saw one room covered in tiny pieces of glass, even finding a piece of glass under a phone book in a drawer, and a crack in the downstairs wall. Upstairs, south windows were broken. In spite of lots of cleaning and vacuuming, bits of glass glistened as the sun came in the next couple of days and their adjustor told them they’d need to get professional help. Outside, as LaDonna said, “It looks like a war zone.” Steel from their grain bins were strewn across the field and into creek banks about half mile away. One building collapsed and another was torn apart. The yard that had taken so much of Jim’s time, and the porch that had been cleaned by LaDonna for spring, would be needing hours of attention.

“I’d prayed, ‘Oh Lord help us’ and that we’d have a roof over our heads when I was on my knees (taking cover from the storm). We take things for granted, but we have to thank the Lord. I know the Lord will take care of us,” LaDonna said as she looked out at the work ahead of them. “We still have a roof over our heads. This is an older, strong and sturdy home and things can be fixed. We’re here. We just have to be prepared in this world anymore, but we feel very blessed with what we have left.”

Wednesday LaDonna said her retired husband will have plenty to do this summer. “Just look at Jim, he’s up on the roof (of the damaged shed). That man’s 79 years old today.”

Individuals whose property was damaged may contact Kevin Norris weekday mornings at his emergency management office in the basement of Montgomery County Courthouse or by calling him at 712-623-3749.