Tornado-force winds whip through farmyards
Swath of destruction litters farm sites near Killarney
BY KIM LANGEN
Tornado winds – which left five grain bins overturned, crippled a magnificent century barn, and destroyed two cattle sheds on Tuesday night – have transformed a farm site northwest of town.
Arden Johnson, along with his father Patrick Johnson, arrived as usual on Wednesday morning to their 1800-acre farm, around seven miles northwest of town, to find a massive display of devastation laid out on the driveway and the land.
“It was a pretty good shock,” said Arden Johnson. “We didn’t expect to see that. We found part of a bin half a mile away, so it must have been a tornado-kind of wind. The sheds were just shredded to pieces. There’s not much you can do about it. We’re just glad no one was hurt, and the animals are okay.”
The force of the storm, a south wind that hammered the region on Tuesday evening and into the small hours of the night, also dropped two inches of rain on their farm, he added, which was good for the crops.
“We have no idea yet of the cost of the damage,” said Patrick Johnson on Thursday morning. “The insurance adjuster was here this morning, and we will hear back in a week or two. We will get Pugh’s in to do the clean-up, and hopefully we can get Goodon’s in to rebuild the two cattle sheds. Right now the roadway is blocked, and we can’t get to our other buildings and equipment, which is going to be an issue.”
The Johnson’s run around 30 Maine/Anjou beef cattle at the site, separated into two yards. And when the storm destroyed one shed, those cattle escaped, and got through into the yard with the second group, which was not a bad result, they said.
The mayhem at the yard site included five grain bins toppled; two destroyed cattle sheds; twisting, listing, and damage to the huge 1903 ‘bank barn’; and mature trees broken and even uprooted. A house on the site, currently under renovation, fortunately survived the damage, said Arden Johnson.
Two major sights of destruction in the area
The path of destruction continued on to Daniel and Hillary Kroeker’s farm north of Killarney, just past Creative Kitchens, on Highway 18.
The storm damaged all their grain bins, totalled a steel shed, uprooted trees, and ripped the shingles off their house, sending the family running for the basement.
“The house just started shaking, and I ran to wake up the kids,” said Daniel Kroeker. “As we were hurrying off to the basement, water starting shooting through the door and then pouring out the pot-lights in the ceiling. It was pretty scary.”
The next morning a large group of friends and family was on the scene to help with the massive clean up effort at the Kroeker’s.
On June 23, 2007 a similar storm ripped through the same yard site when Daniel’s parents, Dave and Adrienne Kroeker, owned the property, and Daniel and his brother Scott still lived in the family home.
The 2007 tornado also did damage to several grain bins, farm equipment, buildings, trees, and the house itself.
It’s déjà vu they hope to never experience again.
A MEDLEY OF MAYHEM – Tuesday night’s tornado-force winds – roaring like a train from the south – pounded these seven massive grain bins into bad shape at Daniel and Hillary Kroeker’s farm a few miles north of town. The wild night was filled with non-stop flashing lightning, along with two inches of rain that fell in the area. Incredibly, on Saturday, June 24, 2007, Kroeker’s farm was hit by an F3 tornado, the day after Elie, MB, was hit with an F4 tornado. See more photos from the Kroeker’s farm below, followed by photos from the Johnson’s.
STEPHANIE KROEKER/PHOTO
Déjà Vu – It was déjà vu all over again at the Kroeker farm north of Killarney, as strong winds ripped through their yard site, just like they did in 2007, wreaking havoc.
Johnson’s historic bank barn damaged beyond repair
STORM DAMAGE – Above, the Johnson’s historic 1903 bank barn, savaged by tornado-like winds. Below, a jumble of whipped roofing and building materials litter the farm roadway.
GRAIN BINS BOWLED OVER – Five of Johnson’s smaller grain bins were tossed like teacups during the Tuesday evening storm event. Above, Patrick Johnson (left) and his son Arden Johnson said they were shocked to see the damage on Wednesday morning, when they arrived at the farm site northwest of town.
JAY STRUTH/KILLARNEY GUIDE PHOTOS