BLANCHARDVILLE - Jeremy Schaefer is just thankful his children were not home that night, June 16, when a tornado wreaked havoc across the property he rents on Hay Hollow Road.
Two weeks after the tornado, Schaefer and his wife Mindie toured the grounds, their shoes crunching over broken glass as they hopped over tree branches and corrugated metal from what was once a garage.
The tornado hit just before midnight while the couple was in bed. Schaefer said the storm lasted for 10 to 15 minutes. Meteorologists believe two F1 tornados hit northwestern Green County in the Blanchardville area that night, lifted up and merged, and eventually dropped down again in Verona, causing widespread damage in that city.
"The side door blew open and about knocked her (Mindie) down before we got into the basement," he said.
They have been staying in New Glarus with her parents since the storm. On this tour of the storm's aftermath, Mindie Schaefer walked around the grounds in flip-flops, unafraid of the broken glass strewn across the lawn. Their dog Diesel wouldn't leave Schaefer's truck for several minutes when they arrived - the dog is just now getting over the terror of the storm, Schaefer said.
He pointed to the old barn where the tornado ripped off a portion of the roof and tore out the sides.
"If it weren't for the old hay that's in there, I'm not sure that would still be standing," he said.
Across from the barn, a twisted heap of metal curls around a set of tractors and other farm equipment. The shed took the brunt of the tornado's wind, leaving behind two walls, sparse of metal, left creaking in the wind. Yet a bright orange bike stands above the rubble unharmed.
"That's my son's bike; there's not even a bent spoke on it," Schaefer said.
From the angle the shed was blown in, it appeared as though the tornado tore through the shed heading northwest, dodged the house and continued into a line of timber down a hill from the house. A shiny piece of metal from the shed lodged in a tree about a quarter mile away gives evidence to the ferocity of the storm. Most of the windows in the house were broken and the chimney was knocked off. A tree also fell into the east side, punching a hole in the roof.
But face south toward the open fields behind Schaefer's house, and it might seem a tornado never came this way. The fields belie broken branches and metal scattered by the gale.
Schaefer's parents live about a half-mile down the road. He called his dad the next day.
"I didn't even know what day it was," he said.
His father is still finding pieces of glass, metal and broken branches on his property.
Schaefer said his truck took about $400 worth of damage and his wife's car had about $5,000 worth of damage.
The property is owned by Gary Thompson, a close family friend. Thompson used to live on the property and still grazes cattle behind the house. An enormous tree with the roots balled up in dirt about 8 feet high crashed into what Schaefer had hoped was going to be a garden.
Schaefer said when Thompson came up to see the damage, he stopped at the tree.
"That's the one that hurt Gary the most, because he used to climb it as a kid," Schaefer said.
Several piles of metal and tree branches are placed around the driveway and house, but there is still a lot to cleanup to do. Schaefer set lines of barbed wire around the house to try and keep the cows off the lawn. But even as he showed visitors around the property, dark clouds on the horizon signaled rain yet to come.
"It's like we've had storms almost every day," he said.
Two weeks after the tornado, Schaefer and his wife Mindie toured the grounds, their shoes crunching over broken glass as they hopped over tree branches and corrugated metal from what was once a garage.
The tornado hit just before midnight while the couple was in bed. Schaefer said the storm lasted for 10 to 15 minutes. Meteorologists believe two F1 tornados hit northwestern Green County in the Blanchardville area that night, lifted up and merged, and eventually dropped down again in Verona, causing widespread damage in that city.
"The side door blew open and about knocked her (Mindie) down before we got into the basement," he said.
They have been staying in New Glarus with her parents since the storm. On this tour of the storm's aftermath, Mindie Schaefer walked around the grounds in flip-flops, unafraid of the broken glass strewn across the lawn. Their dog Diesel wouldn't leave Schaefer's truck for several minutes when they arrived - the dog is just now getting over the terror of the storm, Schaefer said.
He pointed to the old barn where the tornado ripped off a portion of the roof and tore out the sides.
"If it weren't for the old hay that's in there, I'm not sure that would still be standing," he said.
Across from the barn, a twisted heap of metal curls around a set of tractors and other farm equipment. The shed took the brunt of the tornado's wind, leaving behind two walls, sparse of metal, left creaking in the wind. Yet a bright orange bike stands above the rubble unharmed.
"That's my son's bike; there's not even a bent spoke on it," Schaefer said.
From the angle the shed was blown in, it appeared as though the tornado tore through the shed heading northwest, dodged the house and continued into a line of timber down a hill from the house. A shiny piece of metal from the shed lodged in a tree about a quarter mile away gives evidence to the ferocity of the storm. Most of the windows in the house were broken and the chimney was knocked off. A tree also fell into the east side, punching a hole in the roof.
But face south toward the open fields behind Schaefer's house, and it might seem a tornado never came this way. The fields belie broken branches and metal scattered by the gale.
Schaefer's parents live about a half-mile down the road. He called his dad the next day.
"I didn't even know what day it was," he said.
His father is still finding pieces of glass, metal and broken branches on his property.
Schaefer said his truck took about $400 worth of damage and his wife's car had about $5,000 worth of damage.
The property is owned by Gary Thompson, a close family friend. Thompson used to live on the property and still grazes cattle behind the house. An enormous tree with the roots balled up in dirt about 8 feet high crashed into what Schaefer had hoped was going to be a garden.
Schaefer said when Thompson came up to see the damage, he stopped at the tree.
"That's the one that hurt Gary the most, because he used to climb it as a kid," Schaefer said.
Several piles of metal and tree branches are placed around the driveway and house, but there is still a lot to cleanup to do. Schaefer set lines of barbed wire around the house to try and keep the cows off the lawn. But even as he showed visitors around the property, dark clouds on the horizon signaled rain yet to come.
"It's like we've had storms almost every day," he said.