'It was unbelievable': Burlington family recounts historic barn destroyed from tornado
CBS 58 WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) — Cleanup continues after the major storm damage from last week. For days, southeast Wisconsin was hit with tornadoes, heavy rain, hail, and downed trees.
Off County Road D near the border of East Troy and Burlington, a barn that's stood for over 100 years is no more. An EF-1 tornado with wind gusts of 100 mph tore off the roof on Tuesday, April 14.
"Were you scared at all?" asked John Henschel, to his wife Maria. To which she responded, "I was terrified; it was unbelievable."
John said they were in their basement Tuesday night, watching the radar as it got "worse and worse." They thought what they were experiencing was "typical wind that picked up like it usually does when a thunderstorm comes in." They said, "It just got louder and louder and louder, sounded like a freight train. That lasted for about 10 seconds."
In those few seconds, 100 mph winds flattened the barn's roof, destroyed their greenhouse, took out fences, uprooted trees, and trapped their animals. Thankfully, no one was injured.
"It was surreal, it was scary. Didn’t know what to expect, but we were legitimately worried," John Henschel said.
The second floor was decorated in preparation for the Henschels' upcoming 25th wedding anniversary in May. John said it was "sorrowful" and "disheartening" knowing their big celebration won't happen in the space that Maria had been decorating.
Maria was astonished to find that despite falling off the roof, about half of her fine China was still intact. The barn, John said, was also going to be used in the future for his son's wedding and his granddaughter's Sweet Sixteen.
John expressed his gratitude for the community members who have stopped by, offering help, food, and prayers. "People have a large interest in the community and have a good history of being here."
The family says there is still a lot to clean up, but they hope to rebuild in the future, even if it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their daughter started a GoFundMe to help with their restoration.
