The Wayne Single Copy $1.00 Sections - 3 Pages - 22 Thursday, June 26, 2014 138Th Year - No

BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW + Softball teams battle Page 1B + The Wayne Single Copy $1.00 Sections - 3 Pages - 22 Thursday, June 26, 2014 138th Year - No. 39 Herald Daily updates, video and more on the Web at www.mywaynenews.com Picking up the pieces Area residents get help in aftermath of last week's tornadoes The National Weather Service released over a four-hour period, producing large Two other tornadoes touched down about 5 1/2 miles northeast of Laurel and were classified as EF-4 storms by the Na- its findings regarding the tornadoes that hail, flooding and tornadoes. around Coleridge, an EF-1 that hit north- traveled more than eight miles, exiting in tional Weather Service. Two of the tor- touched down in Cedar County last week. Only one of the six tornadoes that touched west of town and an EF-0 on the northeast Dixon County. nadoes near Pilger merged into a single A total of six tornadoes hit in the area down achieved EF-3 status. This torna- side of town. The third tornado was an EF-1 that trav- storm near the Stanton-Wayne county line between Coleridge and Laurel on Tues- do started about 3 1/2 miles northwest of Two of the three tornadoes that struck eled a little more than four miles on a path and carried northeast into Wayne County. day, June 17. They were part of a supercell Coleridge and traveled for about 8 1/4 miles near Laurel were EF-2 storms. One was about six miles northeast of town. Another tornado was spawned from that thunderstorm that developed in the late af- before dying out about two miles northeast noted a little more than four miles north- All four of the tornadoes that struck in storm and carried northeast into southern ternoon and moved slowly to the southeast of the town. east of town, while the second dropped Stanton and Wayne counties on Monday Dixon County. Krusemark family experiences deja vu with second storm By MICHAEL CARNES When it was all over, the Krusemarks Of The Herald stepped outside to survey the damage. Their house, a barn, an open shed, a hog Yogi Berra once said “It’s like deja vu, all shed, garages, a corn crib – all of it was de- over again.” stroyed. The Krusemark family can certainly re- “When we made our way out of the base- late to that famous quote, especially as they ment and pushed the door open, the first pick up the pieces from a second tornado thing I thought was that it was just like that struck the home of one of their family Matt and Traci’s,” she said. “Every building members. out here had some kind of damage, if not Ron and Corliss Krusemark was one of totally destroyed.” more than 30 families whose homes were Krusemark said her son and his family damaged or destroyed in last week’s tor- had made frequent trips out to the fam- nadoes that struck eastern Wayne Coun- ily farm south of Wakefield when weather ty. The home that has been in the family became threatening. Her daughter-in-law, for more than 100 years was in the path of the head volleyball coach at Wayne High, an EF-3 tornado that traveled through the and her kids were in Norfolk on Saturday southeastern part of Wayne County and for an all-star volleyball game when severe blew into Dixon County late last Monday weather made its presence two days before afternoon. last Monday’s tornado. Less than nine months earlier, the Kruse- Thankfully, she said, they weren’t around (Photo by Michael Carnes) marks’ son, Matt, and his family suffered for last Monday’s storm. a similar fate when their house south of A lot of volunteer help could be seen at the Rod Kvols farm north of Laurel, which suffered extensive damage “The kids were upset and called to make Wayne was destroyed by the Oct. 4 tornado from last week's tornado. A total of 11 grain bins were destroyed in the storm, along with a number of build- sure we were in the storm cellar, and when that ripped through the east side of town. ings and a house on the property. we called back (after the storm), they were “We definitely don’t want to see or hear in tears,” she said. “Three of their cats have about another one,” Corliss Krusemark been staying at our house, and a couple of said. them are really spooked right now.” Laurel family waits out storm in Wayne The elder Krusemarks lost their home at One of the things Krusemark said was re- By CLARA OSTEN one grain bin and lots of trees that were destroyed. Neighbors all almost exactly the same time of day their markable was the randomness of the dam- Of The Herald around us were much worse. Some lost everything," Ryan said. kids had their home destroyed in last fall’s age the tornado left behind, particularly tornado, and Mrs. Krusemark said her son Ryan describes the tornado and the damage it caused as "the with some of the trees on their property. Last Tuesday evening Ryan McCoy's father called him and said and his family were probably not far away weirdest thing. It must have gone up into the sky and over our “We have a new grove (of trees), and it a tornado was "headed straight toward you." from coming out to their house when last house. Next to the bin that was destroyed is a hole about three feet took the outside row to the south and east McCoy, who lives two miles north and two miles east of the week’s storm hit. by five feet by three feet deep, which must have been caused by the and took some nice ones around the house, weigh station north of Laurel, gathered up his wife, Celeste and “They had been at home in Wayne, and tornado," he said. but left some of the other trees standing or four sons, Austin, 11, Paxton, 5, Colton, 3 and Logan, 18 months Matt said later that they were thinking The McCoys were without power until approximately 3 p.m. the with some damage,” she said. “How it takes and headed to Wayne to get away from the storm. about coming out here,” Corliss Krusemark next day (Wednesday) and the internet tower that provides inter- the outside trees and skips over others is The family spent a considerable amount of time at Dairy Queen said. “If he’d thought about it another 10 net service to their home was destroyed. just amazing.” in Wayne, hoping the storm would quickly pass. When they at- minutes, they would have been out here.” tempted to return to their home to find out if there was damage, McCoy said numerous farms in the area received considerably At first, Mrs. Krusemark thought the Ron had retired from farming just re- they saw the storm and ended up watching the clouds from a loca- more damage than his property, and said the community has been storm was going to miss their house. cently, and Corliss said the couple had pur- tion approximately four miles south of Laurel for about an hour. working together to get properties cleaned up. He said he even “When we saw the storm coming, I chased a home in Wayne and were planning "We had no idea what had happened to our house and because heard one family in the area received damage from tornadoes on thought it was going to lift because we on moving there this fall. of all the other things, flooding, trees down and power lines down, two separate occasions in recent weeks. didn’t see the funnel,” she said. “We have a Now, they’re planning on moving a little we came back to Wayne and got a room at the Cobblestone," Ryan McCoy said that while his family was not injured and his home walkway to the storm cellar that we could sooner. said. was not damaged, his children have expressed concern when storm walk into and see outside, and once we saw “We’ll be OK,” she said. “To see our home At approximately 11:30 p.m. that night, Ryan left Wayne to clouds have been seen. it coming we got in (the storm cellar) and destroyed was tough, but we’ve had a lot of check the damage at his home. "With all the damage that is in the area, we really are very went into the corner,” she said. “The whole friends who came and helped out, and we "We were very, very, very lucky. The only damage we had was lucky," Ryan said. thing was over in about a minute.” can’t thank them enough.” Rural Wakefield family lucky, grateful By MICHAEL CARNES Of The Herald Lucky and grateful. Jason Barelman and her husband, Mark Moser, were counting their blessings a week after a tornado destroyed their house and her mother’s home nearby when a tornado ripped through eastern Wayne County. Her home was one of more than 30 in an area south and east of Wakefield that were either damaged or destroyed when an EF- 3 tornado blew through the area late last Monday afternoon. And, thanfully, her family came through the experience without any injuries. “We do feel very lucky that nothing did happen to us,” she said in a phone interview Monday night. “I sure hope I never experience that again.” Barelman said she beat the storm home after driving from her job as director of ca- (Photo by Clara Osten) (Photo by Michael Carnes) reer services at Wayne State College.

Load more