Minnesota Tornadoes: One Dead Among Damaged Farmsteads

Two tornadoes in Midwestern Minnesota injured two people, claimed one life and devastated farmstead and properties on Wednesday evening. 

The twister struck a machine shop where Seth Nelson, 30, of Battle Lake was working. The shop and a nearby home were "swept off their foundations and blown away," according to Lt. Keith Van Dyke of the Otter Tail County Sherriff's Office. 

Gareth and Linda Klimek were among the reported injured. The couple got cuts, bruises, and sprained ankle and were treated in the hospital. They were released and are doing fine, stated Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons. A fundraising campaign posted for the family indicated that their home was struck by the tornado and was a total loss. 

On Thursday afternoon, stories of how the tornadoes ripped through homes and properties unfolded. The official said seven houses and outbuildings were damaged but still considers it fortunate as the twister struck in a sparsely populated area. Otherwise, the deadly twister "would have potentially more deaths."

All other residents were accounted for, and no other injuries were reported, said Fitzgibbons.

Some roads near Ashby and Dalton will be closed for clean-up and to thwart onlookers, John Lindquist, an Otter Tail County commissioner said.

The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office said the first of the two tornadoes developed 6 miles south of Dalton after 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday. The second one was reported at 5:11 p.m near Interstate 94. 

Damage trail left by the tornado is up to 650-700 yards, Greg Gust, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said as he assessed the damage on Thursday. "We're talking about cornfields in areas that are scoured down to the ground, where it is not only harvesting the corn but plowing the field," he added.

Stormchaser Brad Nelson, a meteorologist with DTN in Burnsville, Minnesota, said that tornado is estimated to be at least in the EF-3 category, with winds of 136 to 165 mph. Nelson also said the twisters left a 6-to-9 mile trail of damage as it moved northward. 

According to the son of the two injured victims, Gareth and Linda Kimek saw the tornado warning on television. When they looked out the window, they spotted the tornado moving fast towards their house. The couple immediately ran to their basement and huddled next to a washing machine.

Their son, Leon Kimek, said the couple took shelter in their basement. They stayed there until everything was clear. First responders were already in the scene as soon as the couple emerged from the basement. 

Teresa Akerman, another survivor, recalled hiding under the table in the basement of her home in Ashby, Minnesota, when the deadly twister occurred. "It sounded like a great big wind machine. It was the sound of death," Akerman said. She was among the lucky ones who survived the ordeal, with little damage in her home.

Meanwhile, the Otter County Emergency Management Director Patrick Waletzko said they are finding ways to seek financial assistance from the state to help those affected by the storm.