Most people think of a car wash as a place where cars can be cleaned to look sharp, but during this storm, one car wash became a place of shelter for a few people. Back in April, a large storm hit Cannon Falls and southeastern Minnesota. The storm brought hail, lightning, tornadoes, heavy rain, and damage to many properties. People often wonder what they would do when faced with a serious storm.
In the midst of the storm, tornadoes and heavy rain and thunder were taking place. Many properties in southeastern Minnesota were suffering from hail damage and tornado damage. Some people even reported hail as big as baseballs. Near Faribault, MN, An EF-1 was spotted. A barn was severely damaged from the tornado. One person named Aston Gibson stated in a news interview with Kare 11 “We got off of work, the sirens went off, and we came here to hide out.”
Many people know the Muddy Duck Car Wash in Cannon Falls. That is where he and a few others hid out together. “I tried not to worry about it, this one wasn’t too big,” he also said. Another resident, Chris Woodstrom said, “The last tornado that went through Welch, I was actually at my great grandparent’s house in a camper. And it took down a bunch of trees.” It is hard to imagine how scary it would have been to be in a camper while knowing there is an active tornado.
A sixth grader from Cannon Falls Middle School appeared on the news for a short 5 second clip. Bentley German, a sixth grader appeared on a Kare 11 news video. He was asked how it felt to be on the news “It felt pretty good! “It felt pretty good! I felt famous. It made me feel very famous and noticed. It made me feel nice.” He was also asked if he felt any more popular at school after being on the news.“No,” he replied. When he was asked if he had to ask permission to be on the news, he stated that, “My grandma told my parents that the news station was at the Muddy Duck Car Wash. Then I ran down there and went on a secret road, then I went back there, and then they were gone.” When asked what if he wanted to add anything else, he remarked “It was a good exercise running up and down the street.”
“The rain and thunder cleared out in a matter of minutes, but spring and summer tornadoes are all too familiar to some Minnesotans,” as stated by Raya Quttaineh from Kare 11 news. Residents need to be prepared for storms and tornadoes, because power can go out unexpectedly or trees can fall. Just in case, a person should keep a pack of supplies for unknown storm events, such as flashlights, spare batteries, and a charged cell phone. Blankets should also be stored to keep warm if heating goes out. It is hard to predict what kinds of destructive weather can happen.
