Tornadoes brush by Wisconsin campground hosting “National Campers of the Deaf” event

Renca Dunn, Daily Moth Reporter:

Hello! I’m at Wild Rose, Wisconsin. Why am I here? This week there is a Deaf event called the National Campers of the Deaf NCD. They hosted a camp here with about 240 to 260 people. There are RVs, travel trailers, and tents around me. There was an incident with a tornado. Wow. We were on vacation but were hit by a tornado. It just happened. One tornado was seven miles away while another tornado was only five miles away. Two tornadoes!

[Video clip showing a campground with a beach and a lake. The skies are dark and full of storm clouds. Then there is a rainstorm and trees are seen blowing wildly. The video shows people taking shelter inside a cabin.]

Karen, Registration Coordinator:

We alerted the campers and made sure — also my husband Thomas helped out — to bring people into our cottage. We took shelter. We ended up with 35 people inside.

[Video clip showing at least 20 people waiting inside of a cottage as there is a storm outside, visible through the windows.]

Dunn:

The winds had speeds of 92 mph. It was very strong. The campground staff did a great job communicating with deaf campers to be sure they found safety in shelters.

Tom, Camp Director:

This camp is privately-owned. The owner, Jim, was in charge of checking the storm updates on the internet. He had a walkie-talkie and informed a co-worker, who relayed to me, that there was a timeframe where the storm would hit. I then informed my staff, who then used golf carts to drive around and inform others and advise them on where they should go. Most knew what to do.

[Video clip showing trees and branches swaying wildly outside of the cottage windows.]

Karen:

Did I feel nervous? No, I felt confident because I live here in Wisconsin and I know what it is like. I just told others to remain calm and just wait and be patient. We just waited and ignored whatever was happening outside. When the storm passed and we emerged, I was glad to see that others listened and took shelter.

Tom:

It seems like we were brushed by a tornado. Several trees were destroyed. And unfortunately, falling trees damaged four vehicles. There was also other property damage.

[Video clip showing large trees and branches on top of several vehicles in a campground parking lot. A female camper is seen reacting with shock. One of the vehicles’ alarms is blaring. A close-up video shows one of the vehicles crumpled down with its windows blown in]

Matthew & Tamie, Campers:

Matthew: It’s unfortunate. We are here at the National Campers of the Deaf event and met new faces but we were hit by a storm. After the storm passed, someone informed me that my van was hit by a felled tree. When we came out and saw the van damaged, we felt sick to our stomachs. My mind started to race. It feels like a dream. Is it a dream or is it a reality? Now I’m sad about it but the community here is truly wonderful and have shown an outpouring of support. Today is a new day.

Tamie: Yes, just like he said, we felt very impacted, but we are thinking positive because what is the most important thing? We are alive. So I’m okay with that! There is really nothing that we can do about it. It’s a new day. We are all fine with this. Are we disappointed? No. Life goes on. Enjoy your day. We are still here camping. Still!

Matthew: That’s our mantra. Just stay positive. Don’t let negativity get to you.

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[Video clip of a black van with its windshield completely cracked]

Leslie and Jean, Campers:

Leslie: I came here for the NCD vacation. I came here from Kentucky to meet with many new faces and some old friends. I came here to have fun and now this is what we get! But that’s okay. Nobody got hurt! We are all okay. Look at this glass. I’ll get it replaced on Tuesday. Ah, is that Wisconsin’s way of keeping me here longer? Ah, interesting. I’m okay with that!

Jean: Like he said, I would say the same thing too. As long as everyone is still safe, we are all good to go. We are having a good new day. We’re looking at what’s next, what else we can do. It’s wonderful but sad but it’s okay.

Leslie: That was the best van I’ve ever had!

Jean: Yes, we love it! We love that van.

[Video clip of a black Jeep SUV with its front hood bent inwards and a broken windshield]

Ricky, Camper:

Last night we had a huge storm with a funnel cloud. We had winds of 92 mph, imagine that! After it passed, I saw that I was one of three people who had their vehicles hit by a tree. Is my car now worthless? I don’t know. How do I feel? Shocked.

[Video clip showing a worker cutting up a felled tree with a chainsaw. The video shows that several large, tall trees are cracked and dangling. Some branches are resting on cabins.]

Laura, Camper:

Around me there is a really thick tree that fell on land and also hit an RV. There are some intense scenes around. My RV is fine. As for the others, wow. But it’s just a few RVs.

[Video clip showing crews working to clean up branches scattered around]

Carol & Neil, Campers:

Neil: I saw the storm coming quickly. Everyone got into a shelter. One is behind me. We got our two cats, too! One is a kitten at five weeks old. Ricky and Lucky. It’s their first vacation. So our family went into a shelter. Trees were broken.

Carol: You saw a tornado, right? But they didn’t touch down? They were just up in the sky?

Neil: I saw a tornado coming. But two people weren’t lucky, we saw trees hit their vehicles.

Karen and Bob, Campers:

Karen: He was cooking outside and others came to us to warn that there was a tornado warning. It was real serious. We had to stop cooking and put things away before running to shelter.

Bob: It didn't bother me. Not at all. I’m just not scared. It just happens. It happened.

Renca: I’m glad that all is safe. Everyone is okay. Nobody is injured. Just that there are things and property damage. But people weren’t hurt. That’s a huge relief. I’m glad that everyone is okay. This event usually takes place every two years. The next NCD event will be in Illinois. Well, you know, with Mother Nature, we never know!