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Ladysmith, Wisconsin, Hit by Tornado

Aired September 03, 2002 - 14:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Residents and business owners returned to Ladysmith, Wisconsin, today to see what was left after a tornado ripped through the town late yesterday. One hundred buildings were destroyed or damaged. A rafter from a church went through the windshield of a truck. A trailer wound up in the lobby of a bank. And some 40 people were injured. But amazingly, no one was killed.
Don Shelby of CNN affiliate WCCO is in Ladysmith.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON SHELBY, WCCO REPORTER: As tornadoes go, this was a thin one, if you will. It managed to stay within three blocks of the main drag here on Highway 8. So it hit a lot of places very, very hard. But by 4:30 in the afternoon, many of the people were already back in their homes or in this resort community, on their way home to other parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Let me tell you a story of survival. You are going to hear a lot of them coming out of this tornado. I'm holding a 100-or-more-year- old piece of rafter from the United Congregational Church. This rafter and this truck sort of have a unique history: This is the pride and of joy of Sandy Popowich (ph); it's a 1998 Chevy Silverado tricked-out pickup truck. She and her mother were driving westbound on Highway 8, right down Lake Avenue, when she saw a debris cloud. She knew that there was a tornado, so she and her mother pulled into this church parking lot and decided to take refuge behind this brick building.

She stayed in the truck until she saw the tornado approach within feet. She said she had just about two seconds to make her move. She and her mother pulled out of the truck and ran only this short distance, right around the corner here, behind this box, this utility box here. And they hid behind here. Within seconds, the tornado hit.

Now, this is what I want to show you. As we come back up to the Chevy Silverado -- and we are followed by the camera -- this is what they narrowly missed: Take a look at the windshield. This is part of the roof of the United Congregational Church, and it has been driven straight through the windshield. Two seconds prior to that, Sandy Popowich (ph) and her mother were sitting in this truck. So that is just one story of survival.

When I told you it would make your hair stand on end, here is what Sandy (ph) said. She said as she was hiding behind this church -- she has a ponytail with a ponytail holder in it -- the thing she remembers most is not the timber through the windshield, but she remembers her ponytail stood straight on end and the wind and the tornado sucked her ponytail holder right off of her head.

She survived. Her husband is going to move the car sometime today. He started it. It still works.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Amazing report from Don Shelby there, CNN affiliate WCCO reporting from Ladysmith, Wisconsin.

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