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American Morning

Business Owner Discusses Tornado That Hit Close to Town

Aired June 19, 2001 - 11:11   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Parts of the upper Midwest are picking up the pieces from deadly weather. A strong storm system that swept across Minnesota and Wisconsin yesterday produced at least two tornadoes. One of them touched down near Braham, Minnesota. The funnel cloud damaged six buildings, most of them barns, but no injuries were reported at all.

In neighboring Wisconsin, a tornado took aim at the small town of Siren, killing at least three people and injuring at least eight others. The storm caused extensive property damage.

Let's find out about some of that.

We're joined on the telephone by Marsha Lawson. She owns a business in Siren.

Marsha, as I understand it, you run a Papa John's pizza. Is that it?

MARSHA LAWSON, BUSINESS OWNER: It's not a pizza; it's just Papa John's. We're really in Hurley, which is 13 miles from Siren.

HARRIS: You're not unheard of anymore.

How are things shaping up right now for you?

LAWSON: We're fine right here, but Siren is really bad, and it followed Highway 70 from Siren about a quarter of a mile south of Highway 70, and it went almost all the way to Spooner. It leveled everything.

HARRIS: About what time did it hit there?

LAWSON: I think it must have been about 7:30.

HARRIS: So it hadn't gotten quite dark yet, correct?

LAWSON: No, it hadn't.

HARRIS: Were you still at your business?

LAWSON: Yes, almost everyone from town came to our restaurant. It's cement block, and I think they felt that it was the safest place to go. People were here until midnight. HARRIS: That's the advice we hear often hear, about going to someplace like that -- a basement or whatever -- to be surrounded by cement. How did your building hold up?

LAWSON: We're fine. We might not have been if it would have ran a little bit north. It was on the south side of Highway 70, and we're on the north side. We didn't have anything here other than branches and hail damage.

HARRIS: How about your home?

LAWSON: Our home is fine. We're fine here, but there close friends have lost homes and farms, and two of the deaths were regular customers and very good friends of my husband's.

HARRIS: I'm sorry to hear that. So you knew them well. I'm very sorry to hear that.

Can you tell us right now how the town is trying to recover today? Is your phone service working pretty well right now?

LAWSON: We're fine here, but within a couple of miles, they have no electricity, no telephones, no nothing. The power company is out. I don't anyone is working their regular jobs today. Everyone is trying to help.

HARRIS: I was going to ask you about the help situation. Do you think you've got enough there. Have you seen the Red Cross out there or anything?

LAWSON: I haven't seen Red Cross here yet. I know our local volunteer fire department had been working since 8:00 last night, looking for missing people. As far as I know, everyone has been accounted for.

HARRIS: Have you ever seen one of these before?

LAWSON: Never, never, never. I've never seen anything like this in my life.

HARRIS: Did you get any kind of warning? We were talking earlier about the fact the sirens were not really working in Siren. Is that true?

LAWSON: That's right. I would say about five minutes before it hit, one of the local firemen came in the front door and said, Everyone take cover, it's going to be here in a couple minutes.

HARRIS: You actually saw the fireman telling people to take cover, then?

LAWSON: Yes, yes.

HARRIS: How many people were out there in the streets, do you think, at that time?

LAWSON: I couldn't even guess. It's absolutely total devastation.

HARRIS: Do you think, then, this could have even been worse?

LAWSON: I don't know how it could have been. It was awful, awful.

HARRIS: You've got the nation watching you and giving you their condolences, concerns, and hopes for your quick recovery.

Marsha Lawson, good luck, and take care.

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