Destructive tornadoes and severe winds swept through the upper midwest on Friday, leaving a trail of damaged homes, uprooted trees, and debris-clogged roads across rural communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. No deaths were reported from the storms.
The damage stretched across multiple states and prompted officials to prepare residents for what could be a lengthy recovery. In Lena, Illinois, a village of nearly 3,000 people located roughly 117 miles northwest of Chicago, a high school sustained significant structural damage. A band room full of students taking shelter felt the building shake as the power cut out. When students evacuated, they found windows blown out in the gym and part of the roof torn off.
"We are extremely fortunate that this storm did not result in loss of life or serious injury," said local sheriff Steve Stovall.
Central Wisconsin bore the brunt of the damage, with reported tornadoes tearing through Kronenwetter and Ringle. Fire chief Chris Kielman reported that some residents became temporarily trapped in their basements. The scene left Marathon County sheriff Chad Billeb shaken. "A lot of people are going to need a lot of help," he said, noting he had not witnessed devastation of this scale during his 34 years in law enforcement.
In Kronenwetter, neighbors mobilized to clear debris from properties while utility crews worked to restore power. Police chief Terry McHugh cautioned that the recovery process could extend for weeks. The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin and Marathon County's United Way chapter have launched a partnership to assist residents whose homes sustained damage.
Across the border in Minnesota, tornadoes struck Olmsted County with what sheriff's officials described as "multiple levels" of damage. At least 30 homes were damaged in Marion Township, with several suffering significant destruction. Officials conducted door-to-door checks to ensure residents' safety.
The National Weather Service attributed the destruction to tornado activity and scheduled damage surveys for the weekend to assess the full scope of the storms' impact.
For those caught in the path of the storms, the experience proved jarring. Rachel Nemon took shelter in a car wash while heading to pick up her stepson from Lena's middle school. She watched a large tree ripped from the ground and saw sparks fly just feet away from her vehicle. "This is something that you see online, not in real life, especially in a small town in Illinois," she said.
Fourteen-year-old Leo Zach, a high school student at the affected school in Illinois, helped keep others calm as panic set in during the violent shaking. "I was just trying to stay calm, help other people," he reflected on the moment. "I'm definitely on the luckier side of how that could've happened."
Author James Rodriguez: "The fact that no one died in storms this destructive speaks to both luck and solid emergency response, but the real story is only starting as these communities face months of rebuilding."
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