Let's talk about natural disasters for a minute. In each part of this country, no one is immune to a possible natural disaster--earthquakes in the West, wildfires in the Southwest and hurricanes in the Southeast and Northeast. Right here in the middle, we have to contend with thunderstorms and tornadoes. In my many years of Midwest living, I've spent my share of time sheltered from tornadoes. There was that time at the Sioux City mall and then the time at the zoo in Omaha where we had to go in the basement of the cat complex, with a tiger of-course. There were several warnings during class in college and I remember a close call during Girl Scout day camp when I was little. But, that's exactly what they all were--close calls. Nothing ever really happened. Until Friday.
On Friday, an F5 tornado ripped through the southeast edge of Wayne and completely destroyed Grossenburg Implement, my dad's John Deere dealership. He and several other employees were still there and rode out the storm in the break room or in my dad's case, underneath a Gator in the showroom. We are incredibly, amazingly lucky and blessed that he and the other employees weren't hurt.
The dealership is considered a total loss, the debris is unbelievable. Nothing creates the destruction a tornado does and it is hard to believe that it happened in a matter of seconds. The photos below show the offices at the dealership, the bottom photo is what's left of my dad's.
The great news is that the wheels are already turning on rebuilding a new building and anything that can be salvaged is being moved to a temporary office today. It's definitely been an emotionally difficult weekend, so prayers for everyone affected in Wayne are welcome. It will be awhile before everyone sleeps easy again.
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