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Worker
Nelson Brewington and Donna Schewe peer through a door frame--one
of the few parts of her devastated house left standing.
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During
the early evening of July 25, 2000, a powerful F-4 tornado descended
onto Granite Falls, Minnesota, leaving a swath of destruction
unlike the residents of town had ever experienced before. More
than 350 houses were affected; more than 40 were completely destroyed.
Acts
of God quickly sent two teams that concentrated on helping four
families in the area over a three day period. Meet the families
helped by the teams here on this page, then move on to The Workers
link to meet the Acts of God Disaster Relief workers (in the green
shirts throughout) and get the pictoral story of their three days
in Minnesota. Finally, take The Devastation link to try to comprehend
the massive, destructive force the tornado unleashed on Granite
Falls.
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| The
Families
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The
Calleys
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Workers
talk with Herb and Sherri Calley after the teams had salvaged
the kitchen cabinets in their home now marked for demolition.
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The
Justs
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Workers
pose with Wes and Norma Just in front of their devastated home.
Norma is front row center with Wes in the black t-shirt. Their
son Gene is back top left with Wes' brother Al right in front
of him.
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Workers
talk with Al Just after salvaging storm doors, electrical fixtures,
kitchen cabinets, toilets, water heater, bay window frame, and
a flatbed truck of miscellaneous items, which were transported
to the family farm outside of town.
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Wider
shot of the Just home.
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Steve
Sviggum, Minnesota Speaker of the House of Representatives, listens
to and encourages Norma Just. Speaker Sviggum joined the Acts
of God Teams for two to three hours of hardcore salvage work.
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The
Olsons
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The
totaled home of Kermit and Donna Olson. The teams salvaged basement
shelving, the dishwasher from the kitchen, toilets, and numerous
personal and household items.
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The
Red Cross in action.
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The
beginning of a long goodbye.
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Team
member Helen Bachman gives a hug to the Olson's daughter, Sue.
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The
Schewes
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Vern
and Donna Schewe rode out the tornado in the corner of their basement
from which they saw daylight as the fury of the storm lifted their
house off its foundation twice.
Nelson
and Donna pose in what's left of the kitchen. Nelson rescued a
pot holder stuck in the rafters of the shattered kitchen that
Donna wanted to save as a keepsake. (see The
Workers)
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Donna
stands in front of her house, which is a total loss, including
their newly remodeled kitchen. Teams salvaged the furnace, some
household items from the basement, and little else.
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