Community Corner
One Year Later: A Look at Tornado Damage
One year ago Golden Valley residents ran for cover as a tornado swept through the city.
One year ago, a tornado ripped through Golden Valley, North Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. The twister left one person dead, dozens injured and mounds of debris in its wake.
Many in Golden Valley reported reacting to the oncoming storm before the city's tornado sirens sounded. The first storms hit St. Louis Park around 2 p.m. and then split into two, forking into Golden Valley and North Minneapolis.
, Doris McNeal and her husband told Patch they felt the impact of the tornado before they managed to hide in a closet of their Golden Valley Road apartment.
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“You could see the roof flying through the air past our window," she said. "I could not believe the things that were flying by. It was like a movie or something.”
Amanda Furth and a friend were watching a movie inside her home on North Thomas Avenue when the storm hit, forcing them to react.
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“As we ran to the basement, we could see trees coming for my house," she said. “We had just seconds to react.”
Now, one year later Golden Valley Fire Chief Mark Kuhnly believes almost all of the damaged homes in Golden Valley are fixed.
“We were pretty fortunate in Golden Valley because the storm really intensified as it went into Minneapolis,” he said. “We did have some debris to clear but things could have been much worse.”
When the call came in last year, 34 fire fighters responded. Teams assessed the damage and found the hardest hit areas were near North and South Tyrol Park and along Theodore Wirth Parkway. The first order of business was to clear streets in case emergency vehicles needed access, Kuhnly said. Within three hours of the storm, roads were cleared and within about 24 hours power was restored in the area.
“We had several days of heavy clean up, but all in all, we were able to handle the bulk of the cleaning within a few days,” Kuhnly said.
The tornado marks the third year in a row the city has battled severe weather on or around May 22. The year prior to the tornado, straight-line winds stripped roofs and toppled trees.
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