Tornado 2026 08

Last week, our neighborhood got hit by a tornado while my wife and two of my children were home. So I guess I should post about it.

Please be kind to me. My editor, otherwise known as my wife, is unavailable this week. So I’m going to be using AI to edit this post. I know my children are already rolling their eyes.

On Monday, July 27th, just a little before noon, my boss let me know that there was a thunderstorm and they were warning about hail. I had chosen to drive my car rather than ride my bike because of expected rain. But what hit us was more than rain.

Around noon, the tornado sirens went off, sending everyone from my office into the basement. That was where I already worked, so I just continued working. We have a small window to see out, but all we can usually see is the tops of the trees across the street. That day, they were whipping around like pom-poms in a cheerleader’s hands.

Then I got the call. My wife informed me that she and the kids were okay. However, there were power lines down across our back porch. This is where we would normally leave the house, so we instead started using the front door. However, concerned about the lines being down, the condition of our house, and, more importantly, the safety of my family, I informed my boss I had to leave.

Though I live only five minutes from work, it took me some time to get home. Power lines and trees were down, blocking roads left and right. After snaking through the back roads to my house, I arrived to find our house relatively untouched. Thank God, other than a few very large branches ripped out of our trees and the power being out, our house was fine.

Unfortunately, though, many of my neighbors did not fare as well. Miller Electric’s warehouse had a section of its roof peeled away and walls battered during the cyclone. The sheet metal and insulation littered our neighborhood and even wrapped around one of the houses. Massive trees crushed cars and toppled into the streets.

Our normally verdant neighborhood was stripped, with many trees either toppled or needing to be removed for safety. St. Mary’s Cemetery down the street from us had lots of damage, some of which is posted in the photos you see today. My wife and I took a walk later in the week to get most of these photos.

For the next two nights, we slept in darkness, though the moon was close to full, making it easier to see in the night.

During the day, I was able to escape to work, and there I was able to see the full extent of the damage. While I was making my way to my home on Monday, the tornado continued straight south, creating a line of destruction all the way to Lake Winnebago. Many homes and businesses were completely destroyed, leaving devastation in the lives of many.

But our community came together. Instantly, local churches started to provide shelter. Local businesses started offering assistance through food and water donations. And even though I had lines down on my back porch for close to three days, WE Energies and WPS came together to get power back to most by the weekend. Appleton’s trained arborists helped remove trees and branches.

Life is starting to get back to normal.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read my wandering prose and viewing my photos. Feel free to leave a comment about how your life was impacted by this storm. Well wishes are welcome, too.