6 months later, recovery efforts continue in small Minnesota town destroyed by tornado

TAOPI, Minn. (FOX 9) - Heavily bundled against the unseasonable cold of October, Angie Schmitz sat on the newly poured foundation of what will be her new home in Taopi, Minnesota, and reflected on the more violent weather of this past April.

"I shouldn’t be here," she said with emotion creeping into her voice.  "You don’t think so?  Uh uh," she replied. "No."

When an EF-2 tornado hit this southern Minnesota small town, Angie was in her second-floor bedroom, unable to get down the stairs before the entire side of her home was ripped away.

Opened up like a doll house, it became the iconic image of the Taopi tornado.

"It was unbelievable how just the one wall disappeared," Angie said.  "We had the joke from day one that I was just going to put a plexiglass wall up and keep it, just because it was so famous!"

The tornado hit the night of April 12th and essentially destroyed the western half of this town of 61 people.  Nearly every house had some kind of damage, some remaining livable, some not.  But eight homes were so damaged they had to be torn down.

For a town with such a small population, that was significant.

"We were like 61, I believe, before the storm," said Jim Kiefer, the Taopi City Clerk.  "And the day after the storm we were probably at 31. Half the town had to move out because it wasn’t livable anymore."

Kiefer said for the next two weeks after the tornado, work on clean up went from sunrise to sundown.    The city council, which normally meets twice a year, met nightly.   Kiefer, now retired, was born and raised here.  So were many of the other residents.  There remains a huge commitment to rebuild rather than relocate.

"I owe the town a lot," said Kiefer. "Been here for too many years to see what happened to it and not help it rebuild."

So far, five permits have been issued for new homes.  While some damage was repaired relatively quickly, other homes needed more extensive remodeling, such as Nick Strenke’s.

"Before work, I come and work on the house, then after work I come and work on the house," he said, "so it’s a labor of love!"

Both Strenke and Angie Schmitz say it’s been slow-going, between insurance adjusters and contractor schedules, but see an end in sight.  Strenke hopes to be in his renovated home by the new year, while Schmitz hopes to be in her new home by Easter.

And all hope that by the one-year anniversary in April, Taopi is rebuilt.

"It is unreal. Very unreal," reflected Angie.  "I’ve seen videos from 6 months ago, and it still gets me every time."