A Taste of a Tornado

Local residents here were always told we were pretty much safe from tornados even though we are in the midwestern US where such twisters are fairly frequent. Because we are sandwhiched between the Wisconsin bluffs and the Minnesota bluffs that bound the Mississippi River, we always believed that any tornado would hop from one bluff to the other right over us. Some also believed the old Indian belief that tornados don't appear where 3 rivers meet like here. However there was a tornado here in 1966, not any since though. So it was a shock Saturday, May 21 when we were struck by a tornado. Luckily it was not as powerful as those recently experienced in Alabama and Missouri, but it was frightening enough to make us all thank God we were spared to the extent we were. It awed and humbled all of us. I missed being in the path by not much more than a mile, but there were 200 homes and many businesses that were not so lucky. We lost over 600 trees, many of them were huge and over 100 years old. Considering the degree of trauma this community has suffered, it is inconceivable to imagine the pain and loss felt by so many this Spring in this country who lost so much more. They can all use our prayers and assistance any way possible. The following photos are reprinted from the La Crosse Tribune.