OXIDE AND I'LL LET ANY ROBOT
PROBE MY MOUTH.
ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU IF TO ALL OF YOU FOR
YOUR FEEDBACK.
TODAY MARKS THE 20th
ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEADLY
TORNADO OUTBREAK THAT HIT ST.
PETER.
THE 14 TORNADOES REPORTED
THAT DAY WAS THE LARGEST NUMBER
EVER TO HIT IN MARCH.
TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY THE
TORNADOES THAT BROUGHT DOWN
COUNTLESS TREES, DAMAGED HOMES,
SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES.
IT WAS STUNNING.
IT WAS TREES DOWN ACROSS THE
ROAD.
IT WAS ROOFS OFF OF HOMES.
THAT TIME I SAW THE TWISTING
WE HIT THE BASEMENT AND IT WAS
OVER IN JUST A MATTER OF A
COUPLE OF MINUTES.
YOU PLAN FOR A DISASTER NOT
KNOWING WHAT KIND OF A DISASTER
IT MIGHT BE.
THIS TIME IT WAS FOR REAL.
BUILDINGS CAN BE REBUILT.
BUT LIVES CAN'T BE.
SO MANY PEOPLE HAD DAMAGE.
THAT SUFFERED LOTS OF WAYS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
WONDERING WHERE WAS THE HAND OF
THE ALMIGHTY LAST NIGHT WHEN
THIS ALL HAPPENED.
MAYBE IT WAS RIGHT HERE.
THIS IS A DORMITORY AND EVERY
ONE OF THOSE WINDOWS ARE BLOWN
IN AND THE ROOMS ARE DESTROYED.
NEBRASKA NOBODY WAS IN THE
ROOMS, IT WAS SPRING BREAK.
20 YEARS LATER THE DORMS ARE
FULL AGAIN AND YOUNG TREES
PLANTED AFTER THE TORNADO TOOK
15,000 OF THEM LOOK RIGHT AT
HOME.
THAT IS OF COURSE FORMER
ANCHOR AND REPORTER DON SHELBY
WHO WAS IN THE FIELD AFTER THE
TORNADO STRUCK.
HE RETURNED TO THE AREA 20
YEARS LATER.
WE ARE HAPPY TO HAVE DON
WITH US TODAY.
WELCOME TO WCCO MID-MORNING.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
I THINK ANYBODY WHO WAS IN
MINNESOTA THAT DAY WHEN THAT
TORNADO HIT REMEMBERS IT.
YOU WERE ACTUALLY THERE ON THE
SCENE RIGHT AFTER IT HIT.
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
FIRST OF ALL WE HAD JUST
COME OFF TEN MONTHS EARLIER THE
COVERAGE OF THE 1997 GRAND
FORKS FLOOD.
SO WE WERE SORT OF IN MODE FOR
COVERING TRAGEDIES.
YOU WOULD THINK REPORTERS
BECOME HARDENED TO THIS KIND OF
STUFF.
I COME FROM A SMALL TOWN AND
THE MINUTE I SET FOOT IN ST.
PETER, A CITY THAT I KNEW WELL,
I BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND AND
ABSORB THE FEELING OF THE LOSS
AND IT'S JUST NOT BUILDINGS BUT
THERE WERE ITEMS LIKE
PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHILDREN FROM
PHOTO ALBUMS THAT WERE FOUND IN
WISCONSIN FROM ST. PETER.
THE STORM WAS SO BIG.
SUPER CELL SO LARGE.
67 MILES THE TORNADO WAS ON THE
GROUND.
THAT WAS AN F 3 THAT HIT THERE.
COMFREY WAS AN F 4. ONE DEATH.
A CHILD WAS LOST IN ST. PETER.
AMAZING ONLY TWO DEATHS
OCCURRED, AS TRAGIC AS IT IS.
A MIRACLE WHEN YOU LOOK BACK
ON THAT.
HOW LONG WERE YOU THERE?
DID YOU IMMEDIATELY KNOW I'M
HEADING OUT TO THIS TOWN?
WE SPENT ABOUT A WEEK ALL
TOLD DOWN THERE WITH FULL
COVERAGE AT 5:00, 6:00 AND
10:00 AND THE NOON.
AND I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT TO AN
OLD HAND WHO WORKED AT WCCO
NAMED TOM ZIGLER.
HE AND HIS WIFE SHERYL WERE ST.
PETER FOLK.
TOM WAS HERE AT THE NATION.
HE WATCHED THE WEATHER FORECAST
AND MIKE SAID IF YOU'RE IN THE
PATH OF THIS STORM, TAKE COVER
BECAUSE IT IS AWFUL.
WELL, TOM HAD FAMILY THERE.
SHERYL HAD FAMILY THERE.
AND TOM LEFT THE STATION, BEGAN
DRIVING TO ST. PETER AND GOT
THERE AND THEN BEGAN
CONTROLLING ALL OF THE
OPERATIONS SO WITHOUT TOM AND
HIS ALERTNESS, BECAUSE HE WAS
THERE, THE PHONE WENT DEAD
WHILE HE WAS TALKING TO
SHERYL'S MOTHER AND FATHER.
IT WENT DEAD AND THEY KNEW IT
HAD HIT.
THEY WERE JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN.
WE BEGAN THAT COVERAGE AND IT
WAS HEART WRENCHING.
IT WAS JUST HEART WRENCHING
COVERAGE.
I CAN TELL IT STILL STAYS
WITH YOU 20 YEARS LATER.
YES.
YOU TALKED TO PEOPLE NOW.
YOU WENT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY,
MET WITH PEOPLE.
YOU CAN SEE THE EMOTION STILL
IN THEIR VOICE AND IN THEIR
FACE.
THEY'RE STILL DEALING WITH
THIS.
TODD'S VOICE CRACKS 20 YEARS
LATER AND HE HAD ONLY BEEN ON
THE JOB FOUR MONTHS.
HE WAS JUST A BOY.
SUDDENLY TO BE HIT WITH ALL OF
THIS.
LET ME TELL YOU JUST ONE THING
THAT TOUCHES A REPORTER.
AS I SAID WE HAD JUST TEN
MONTHS AGO COVERED THIS
TERRIBLE FLOOD UP IN THE GRAND
FORKS AREA.
VOLUNTEERS WERE COMING BACK.
EVERYBODY WAS COMING BACK.
9000 VOLUNTEERS.
IS WHAT BROKE MY HEART WAS TO
LOOK UP AND SEE AN ENTIRE FIRE
UNIT OF RESCUE WORKERS FROM
EAST GRAND FORKS HAD COME DOWN.
THEY WERE STILL REBUILDING
THEIR TOWN BUT THEY CAME DOWN
TO ST. PETER TO HELP.
ALONG WITH THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF OTHERS.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF
YOUR COVERAGE AND YOUR
REPORTING, THE RECOVERY OF ST.
PETER.
DON'T MISS DON'S REPORT AS PART
OF OUR TEAM COVERAGE OF THE
TORNADO OUTBREAK 20 YEARS LATER
TONIGHT ON OUR NEWS AT 5:00,
6:00 AND 10:00.
THANKS FOR COMING IN AND
MAKING YOUR DEBUT ON MID-
MORNING.
JUST A PLEASURE.
I'VE BEEN HOPING I'D GET A