The Strongest Tornado In My Area In Over 4 Decades Hit My Home, Here’s What It Was Like to Live Through It

On July 27, an EF 3 tornado hit Wisconsin’s Fox Valley, my home. It was the strongest tornado in this area since 1984, and I live along its path. The tornado left thousands of residents without power, and a number of homes have been damaged to the point that they’re uninhabitable.

Cleanup has been underway since then, but there’s still a long way to go. Aside from that, the tornado itself was such an outlier that it remains a fascinating topic even in the wake of the destruction it left behind.

We don’t see a lot of tornadoes in this particular area, especially not ones this strong. As terrifying as the experience was, the way the community has come together to help each other has reminded me that I’m lucky to call the Fox Valley my home.

The Day of the Tornado

The weather was supposed to be storms with the possibility that some might be severe, and when I checked my phone that morning, large hail was the biggest risk. I wasn’t concerned about the weather because it didn’t seem like it was going to be anything unusual.

However, as the storm approached, it came into an area of instability that created the conditions perfect for a tornado to form, and it formed fast. In fact, it was already touching the ground when the warnings went out.

My day went from normal to panicked in an instant as both the tornado warning on my phone appeared and sirens went off. As a Midwesterner, my first and most natural instinct was to go to the window and check to see if I could spot a funnel cloud or anything that would let me know if I had to go to the basement.

Part of the unusual nature of the tornado was that it moved from north to south, rather than the more common southwest to northeast. It was also strange that the tornado was about 1,800 yards wide, so the path was long – roughly 12 miles – and wide. At this point, I assume I can just watch and wait it out. The sirens are going, but I don’t see anything.

Then the tornado arrived. The power went out and I saw the wind shift, which made me immediately get my household down into the basement, including bribing my dog with chicken to bring him down too.

That’s when it became real. I heard sirens and sharp whistling winds, and my phone was struggling to get reception or data to let me check what was happening. At this point, I’m just thinking that I have my family and my dog with me, so whatever else happens is fine. Nothing is more important than us being alive and safe.

I can survive anything else, but there was still this feeling of disbelief because I had never been in a situation like this before, so it hadn’t fully sunk in at this point. The sounds outside then stopped entirely. It was completely silent, and I realize now that this must have been the vortex, because a bit later the winds were back.

When it was over, I was scared that I would go upstairs and find that I didn’t have a house anymore. I had no idea what to expect or how much damage was done, but thankfully my house was okay. I didn’t have power, and there were branches and debris outside, but I was luckier than others who had windows blown out, holes in their roofs, or even had their houses completely destroyed. Thankfully, nobody died or was seriously injured.

The aftermath

The tornado passed quickly but left a trail of destruction that will take a long time to clean up and repair. Some people who lost power only lost it for a few minutes, but I was among the last in the area to have power restored due to damage done to nearby power lines. It took about three days to get it back, so like many others, I had to empty my fridge and freezer.

In the meantime, the community came together to help each other. The day of the tornado, I had neighbors asking me to let them know if I needed anything. My family members who weren’t in the tornado’s path were texting to see if we were okay and asking what we needed, which was how I got a camping lantern to use from one brother and a generator from another.

Supplies hubs started appearing as quickly as volunteers did, and basics like water and non-perishable food were available for anybody who needed them. Restaurants sent out food trucks to impacted areas to give out free meals and drinks, and neighbors started cookouts where anybody was invited, while other neighbors helped deliver meals to those impacted.

Walking around still feels surreal with the immense damage the tornado left in its wake. A place that I knew by heart was changed forever in a matter of minutes. But the outpouring of support from the community and the way that everybody stepped up to help each other when we needed it the most left a greater impact than the fear of the tornado. It’s something I’ll never forget.

If you want to help this incredible community rebuild, consider donating through the United Way Fundraiser.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.