Tornados damage properties north of Hollandale

Published 7:44 am Friday, June 18, 2010

Multiple tornadoes touched down in the Hollandale area Thursday night, leaving a trail of damage in the rural area.

“It’s devastating,” said Matt Luna. “I’m still in shock, total utter shock.”

Luna’s home on 830th Avenue north of Hollandale was among those badly damaged.

Email newsletter signup

The tornado touched down just north of town, damaging homes on 290th Street before moving northeast, passing 825th Avenue and 300th Street where Hilltop Greenhouse & Farm was badly damaged.

Luna, along with friends and family, surveyed the damage with flashlights Thursday night.

Much of the house’s roof was destroyed as was a back portion of the home and most of the windows.

Cars in Luna’s driveway were blown into a field, and multiple trees were uprooted. Three boats and a trailer were missing, and a few storage sheds were destroyed.

Luna pointed out a few keepsakes on the lawn, including the boots to a Santa suit he wears during the Christmas season.

Right before the storm hit, Luna said, he walked outside to check the weather. Luna saw a thick black cloud to the southwest heading toward a neighbor’s home, and he quickly moved his family to the basement.

“We got to the basement and held each others’ hands down there,” Luna said.

Despite the damage, no major injuries were reported around Hollandale. Power was out in town most of the night, but was restored in the rural area around town early Friday morning.

Capt. Bob Pike of the Hollandale First Responders said homes were also damaged west of Hollandale and north of Maple Island.

“There were actually several tornados,” said Capt. Bob Pike of the Hollandale First Responders.

Highway 251 was closed about a mile west of Hollandale because a power line was down in the road.

One sight baffled volunteer firefighters on 290th Street less than a mile southwest of Luna’s. Next to a destroyed farmhouse, a softball trophy landed upright on the branch of a tree in the middle of the gravel road, as if it had been gently placed there.