Glentana Hit By EF-2 Tornado

An EF-2 tornado directly hit the small community of Glentana July 18 causing extensive damage to property but, to the relief of residents, community members emerged unscathed.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Glasgow, the tornado touched down 5.5 miles southwest of Glentana at 5:47 p.m. and moved to the northeast ending at 5:56 p.m. The average path width was 457 yards and then traveled 8 miles. NWS reported a peak wind of 120 miles, classifying the tornado as an EF-2 after initial reports were given of a peak wind of 109 mph.

Valley County has experienced 13 tornadoes since 2000. None of the 13 registered as an EF-2 or higher. The last EF-2 or stronger tornado was reported June 25, 1975.

Judy Anderson reported seeing a funnel formation touchdown near her residence southwest of Glentana. The team from NWS – Rex Morgan, Brad Mickelson and Angel Enriquez –was on site July 19 to survey and assess the damage and to verify the tornado. The survey reported damage to grain bins, buildings and farm machinery. Residents estimate millions of dollars in damages.

Joy Schuster's home, the Catholic Church parsonage, had the roof torn off. Schuster was standing at the top of the basement stairs at the time. "I wasn't so much scared as I was stunned," she said the next day. "I looked up and there was sky. I feel lucky I wasn't sucked out."

The St. John farm, on the east side of the town, also suffered considerable damage. Trees were uprooted and windows on an outbuilding were blown out. Two buildings were destroyed by the tornado – a shop and a Quonset hut housing farm equipment.

Gene and Patty St. John were out of town but Scott St. John was in the shop at the time of the storm. He initially sought refuge under a pick-up truck in the shop but moved under a combine when the vehicle began to roll under the pressure of the winds.

The Ford pick-up truck S. St. John hid under also went through the tornado that struck Opheim in 1999. The EF-2 that hit Glentana marks the first in Valley County during his lifetime.

"I didn't sleep at all last night," he said. "The adrenaline!" S. St. John, upon seeing Schuster's missing roof, expressed more concern for his neighbor than himself, representative of the small community. Schuster had already been offered a place to stay in neighboring Opheim.

Anyone questioning whether the small town can recover from the direct tornado hit has never witnessed what a farming community is capable of.

"It's amazing what people can do," exclaimed Jim Fossum while describing how quickly everyone came together to help.

Cleanup efforts were well underway Tuesday. By the time this reporter arrived late Tuesday morning, the roads had been cleared of debris while tractors rumbled through town carting off trees and large chunks of infrastructure while locals of all ages – from children to what in other areas would be retirees – worked by hand.

NorVal Electric and Mattfeldt Electric were in town to address the power issues and ensure the safety of residents, while also lending a hand to clean-up and offering support. Disaster & Emergency Services Coordinator Rick Seiler was also in town representing Valley County.

A portable generator was brought in for the community lunch at the Catholic Church. J. Anderson and Twyla Anderson paused their clean-up work to ensure everyone in the area took the time to eat and regroup. While eating in the church – one of the few buildings to sustain no visible damage – volunteers discussed the severity of the storm and damage while expressing their gratitude that no one was injured or killed in the storm. Cell phone videos of the wind and rain were shared.

Despite the shock from the weather event, residents smiled and laughed while continuing plans for clean-up and rebuilding. Talked turned to potential fundraising efforts to replace older, uninsurable machinery.

The storm front caused damage throughout the county, knocking over a camper in Fort Peck and damaging trees in Glasgow. Beyond Valley County, Flaxville took wind damage and Williston, N.D., saw baseball-sized hail.

By Saturday, July 23, the efforts of cleanup crews was clearly evident though work continued. Jill Thompson, daughter of Gene and Patty St. John and sister to Scott, was on hand with her husband Scott Thompson and their kids to lend helping hands. The ruined shop had mostly been carted away though debris was still visible.

Gene St. John stood beside an idling tractor in front of the foundation of the destroyed Quonset hut with farm equipment lined up on the other side of the drive. "I'm just wondering where to start," he said as he looked on at the mess that remained. To the east of the farm were two piles – one of trees and debris and the other twisted remains of grain bins.

S. St. John said insurance claims were in the works. Photos of the damage had been sent to insurance adjusters and implement dealers had either been to or had plans to assess the damage to equipment.

"The shop was uninsured, so that was easy," he laughed ruefully.

Schuster was in town to gather up belongings as she moves into her temporary apartment in Opheim. "This place was a beehive Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," she said while expressing gratitude to all who worked to restore Glentana.

Across town, members of the Schuster family and Walt Nelson were erecting a new grain bin. Steve Schuster said that plans for the structure were in place before the storm hit but noted Nelson nudged them along in building it so they have a place to store grain come harvest.

S. Schuster, who was not home when the tornado tore through town, lamented the damage but added, "This really brought back neighbor helping neighbor."