Reports indicate that the tornado which hit the Cameron/Chetek area was rated a F2, meaning they sustained winds going up to 122-150 mph. There were 38 homes destroyed and around 20 damaged. East of Clear Lake, nearly 30 miles West from the epicenter of the storm, was severely affected. One homeowner had a lot of tin strewn in his pasture and on his fields. Another one had a large metal shed which had its roof blown off, leaving all the tin in the woods about 1/4 mile hanging from the trees. The raging storm brought down trees as well. A clean up crew was organized to assist in this area.
This past weekend, volunteers gathered in the Cameron/Chetek area to help out on the fields by picking up debris left from the storm. Even though there was steady rain on Saturday, over 700 volunteers responded to the call. On Sunday, some volunteers provided help to a church member and her son who were impacted by the storm significantly. They witnessed several downed trees and so much brush, along with a broken down fence in the horse pasture. They did a lot of chainsawing and piled up tree limbs which were hauled away by a tractor.
There were other volunteers that assisted at the Multi Agency Resource Center by supplying food and water to the affected community. Some of the donations that were set up for the survivors were used to get the items they needed. In addition to providing for the survivors, they also helped supply meals to the volunteers working on the scene, along with Salvation Army. The volunteers also offered emotional support to the survivors by hugging them and listening to them.
“I want to thank our certified chain saw operators for responding to the need and working very well taking the job at hand very seriously. Your work is very much appreciated. I especially want to thank our local ACS leaders. You have done an outstanding job and with out you we would not have accomplished what we did,” said Alice Garrett, ACS Wisconsin Director.
