As winds picked up and hail began falling on May 15, tornado warning sirens blared across western and east-central counties of Wisconsin.
In Juneau, staff with Clearview Long Term Care & Rehabilitation took action immediately to move 100 nursing home residents into hallways and away from windows.
Twenty minutes later, winds knocked out several of the building’s windows and ripped off its roof. Outside, the tornado warning siren was eventually ripped from the ground.
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Three EF-2 rated tornadoes hit the cities of Mayville and Juneau in Dodge County, according to the National Weather Service. That evening, a total of seven tornadoes hit Wisconsin, producing winds of nearly 100 miles per hour.
Juneau Police Chief Dave Beal, who also serves as the city’s director of emergency government, told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” the tornado sirens helped community members and nursing home residents to avoid any serious injuries.
“The system worked. If residents would have been in their room, they would have been affected,” he said.
Beal said the storm left several missing roofs, downed power lines and fallen trees on homes. One person got trapped but was saved by local fire firefighters.
Mark Thomas, regional executive and CEO of Red Cross of Wisconsin, said volunteers opened a resource hub at an area school for two days to support those without power and resources.
“No individual stayed overnight at the shelter,” he said. “We were offering food, water, emotional support, a place to congregate and maybe charge their cell phone.”
Thomas said the Red Cross is working with 10 area families in need of financial assistance, health care and mental health services. The number of cases may increase if more people need support, he added.
Those needing support following disasters and storms can connect with the Red Cross online or call 1-800-733-2767.
Leaders emphasize local partnerships, preparing for severe weather
Beal said while the majority of yard debris has been picked up, repairing the damage will be a long-term project. For the city of Juneau, this includes completing electrical work.
“We had an electric substation that was hit during the storm that is still offline,” he said. “We have a substation on the south end of town that’s basically powering the city at this time.”
The city of Juneau owns its own utility company, which made repairs challenging after the storm struck, Beal said. But eight local municipalities came to the city’s aid to restore power to half the city before midnight.
“They were resetting poles at night, stringing new electric lines,” he said. “They were able to work hard and fast.”
Beal said this type of local support stems from being prepared for severe weather incidents by having county-wide partnerships with local sheriffs and other police departments.
“They all played a huge part in our response efforts and things went very smoothly in the city of Juneau,” he said.
On average, Wisconsin faces 23 tornadoes per year, with peak season between April and August, according to Ready Wisconsin.
During tornado season, Thomas emphasized, it’s important for people to understand the difference between a tornado warning versus a tornado watch.
“A watch means be prepared,” he said. “A warning means take action immediately.”
He said whether there’s a siren sounding or thunder, people should find a safe place indoors. If travelling by car, people should pull onto the side of the road to avoid getting hit by trees and powerlines.
“We want people to take those warnings very seriously,” Thomas said.
