A powerful tornado touched down in northeastern Wisconsin on Monday, hollowing out homes and toppling power lines as it remained on the ground for more than 20 minutes. The Fox Cities region, which is home to more than 100,000 people in the cities of Appleton, Menasha, and Neenah, was left in shambles by the twister, with homes leveled, cars flipped, and power lines and trees toppled.

Assessment and Response

First responders searched homes and buildings on Tuesday for possible victims, and dozens of people were injured. The tornado was classified as an EF3 tornado, the strongest to strike Outagamie and Winnebago counties since an EF4 touched down in April 1984. Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency for the affected areas, and shelters were opened for displaced residents.

More than 10,000 customers in Winnebago and Outagamie counties were still without power, according to utilities that serve them. The twister was spun off by a large storm system that moved through the Great Lakes and was fueled by a buildup of heat and humidity, the weather service said.

Resident Accounts

Residents described terrifying moments as the tornado struck. David Chew, 55, said a tree smashed through his roof in Menasha, and he still hadn’t located an outdoor patio lounger swept away by the storm. Rachel Bernhardt, 56, said she grabbed her dog and dashed to her basement in the village of Fox Crossing after she saw a steel swing spinning in the yard.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.