'I thought that I was going to die': Menasha residents recovering from catastrophic tornado damage
CBS 58
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It’s a clean-up process that will take months, and people are still coming to terms with losing their homes and everything they’ve known.
“I’m just in shock, and I would never have guessed that a small town in Wisconsin would get this destroyed in under five minutes,” said Dezarae Horner, who lives in Menasha.
Dezarae says she’s in disbelief as she looks at what’s left of the home she grew up in with her family on Broad Street.
"I’ve lived here since I was 10 years old, and it’s just so surreal that everything I’ve known is like gone,” said Dezarae.
Dezarae says she was at home when the tornado was headed towards her, trying to rush to safety.
“I thought that I was going to die,” said Dezarae. “I was just screaming for my life, and like I had no idea what to do, and yeah, actually the wind like lifted me up off the ground. After I made it to the bathroom, I had my head down to my knees."
Now, she and her family are among the hundreds of people left cleaning up what’s left of their homes.
“Now we have no windows in our house, no nothing, but thankfully, our house is standing because our neighbor's is not,” said Jessica Horner, Dezarae’s mom. “It’s been hard, and you don’t think it’s going to happen to you, but it sure can.”
Jessica says she’s grateful everyone is okay but hurts for her neighbors whose lives will never be the same.
"I mean, you’re hoping and praying and it’s about all you can do right now," said Jessica.
Marshal Frisque, the pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Neenah, is just one of many community members stepping up to help those who lost everything.
“They are going to live it for months, and even the better part of year, as they look to rebuild or replant elsewhere,” said Pastor Frisque. “There’s a lot of emotion with that.”
Offering hope by bringing people together to provide resources for the long road ahead.
“You find a lot of destruction, but if you look for those little blessings, you’ll be reminded that there’s good in the world. Many wonderful people are coming to help."
