Monday afternoon I started looking through some old photographs from the aftermath of the June 17, 2010, tornadoes. It has been five-years since the tornadoes came through this area, and I am working on a story for Wednesday’s paper talking with some of the survivors.

The photos brought back a flood of memories. It was a hectic time for us at the Tribune, as I’m sure it was for all of the other media, as we tried to survey the damage as quickly as possible so we could inform our readers of the impact on their neighbors and their communities.

I was in the basement of a friend’s house the night of the 17th with my mother-in-law, who was visiting from Colorado, my daughter and a handful of other people from our church. We had gathered for a picnic, not thinking much about the impending forecast.

After the weather moved through — sparing Albert Lea itself — it was all hands on deck for the Tribune staff. I, along with my co-workers, scattered in all directions to see if we could discover any of what had happened before the skies turned dark for the night.

Then Managing Editor Tim Engstrom headed west, and I met up with my co-worker Geri Murtaugh and we headed out in the opposite direction.

Geri and I ended up north of Hollandale, but by that point it was too dark. I decided to come back the next day.

Early the next morning, I arrived back in Hollandale.

I came across resident Matt Luna and his family whose home had been badly damaged north of Hollandale on 925th Street. Matt, who had lived in that home for 48 years, graciously allowed me into his and his family’s lives to share their story and their heartache. He described how he and his children held onto each other’s hands as tight as they could in the basement while the tornado passed.

I don’t know if I could have opened my heart to a reporter if my own house had been destroyed the night before, but I will be forever grateful for the trust he placed in me that morning in allowing me to share his story.

Ironically, I saw Matt briefly over the weekend, and he has always treated me with that same kindness he did that day. I have not had the chance to catch up with him about his life since, but I hope he has been able to rebuild in more ways than one.

I cannot think about the tornadoes without also remembering former Tribune employee Ron Woodside, whose wife, Kathy, died from injuries she sustained from an EF4 tornado northwest of Armstrong that same night.

Ron, who sustained 27 broken bones and was in and out of consciousness for several days after the incident, has opened his heart to me in several instances for stories, and I have been personally inspired by seeing his strength and resiliency.

Doctors deemed Ron a miracle.

Since I first met him in rehabilitation at Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea, I have run into him occasionally at Kwik Trip or at rummage sales.

I can’t drive near his home without thinking about what happened.

These are just two of the stories of strength that came out of that horrific night in Freeborn County. Sometimes I think I could write a book about all the amazing stories I heard first-hand during that time.

Though I hope we never have to go through anything like that again, I thank you for sharing your stories and for trusting us with this important piece of history.

 

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Albert Lea Tribune.