New Richmond, Wis. residents picking up the pieces after tornado
New Richmond residents picking up the pieces after tornado
A tornado ripped through New Richmond, Wisconsin on Thursday, leaving residents to clean up damage.
NEW RICHMOND, Wisc. (FOX 9) - Multiple tornadoes touched down in Minnesota and Wisconsin Thursday, leaving a path of damage in the aftermath.
The Twin Cities National Weather Service says an EF-2 tornado ripped through southeast of New Richmond, Wis. FOX 9’s Leon Purvis spoke with a homeowner cleaning up his backyard.
New Richmond Homeowner cleaning up backyard
What we know:
Jeff Hogden was in his barn inside of his truck hunkered down when the tornado passed through his backyard. He says it lasted 10-15 seconds.
"The whole truck is wobbling, and I knew it was a strong, very strong wind, and that was probably a tornado," said Hogden.
The tornado was 100 feet away from Jeff Hogden.
"I was just in the survival mode," said Hogden.
EF-2 Tornado near New Richmond, Wis.
What they're saying:
Hogden captured video of the EF-2 tornado after it destroyed his backyard.
"When I got out of the truck, I saw that all our buildings had disappeared. Here. They're all flattened and then the trees were all flipped over at that point," said Hogden.
Those buildings were a pole barn, a few chicken coops and a greenhouse. Also, he is missing two cats, and only six out of 15 chickens are accounted for. Thankfully everyone in Jeff’s family is okay, and his home is safe.
The same tornado could be seen for miles in the area. FOX 9 viewer Clayton Bayer sent in a video and tells us it’s the first time he’s seen a tornado.
"I started seeing, you know, dirt on the ground in the field, you know, starting to, you know, pick up. And then two seconds later, then I [saw] the funnel cloud drop. And there was, you know, maybe about a mile away from my house," said Bayer.
"I've never seen one down on the ground, and this is more than enough for me. At this point, I don't need any need to see another one," said Hogden.
Picking up the pieces
What's next:
Hogden says that he’s been on the phone all day long with insurance companies, and he adds that his insurance adjuster will be coming on Monday to assess the damage.