 
By Sarah Schulz
One man asks if debris containers or trucks are needed. "That would be good," Santin says. "OK, I'll make some calls and talk to you later," the man says. Santin's property at 1627 X Road, eight miles north of Central City, was heavily damaged by a tornado that touched down late Tuesday afternoon. He said three large garages, some containing farm equipment; two small garages; three pickups; two corn trucks; a car; his home; and a camper were either destroyed or damaged. "That's a cheap camper if you want to buy it," he said with a smile. Santin joked with friends, although he estimated the damage to
his property to be around half a million dollars.
A pickup belonging to the family's hired hand was also damaged, Santin said. One of the corn trucks was destroyed, and the second was rolled onto its side. Four pivots, fence and numerous trees were also damaged. The majority of the home's roof was gone, and windows were broken out. Santin's wife, Ann, said they have lived in the home for a year. They had remodeled, and Mrs. Santin hung new curtains on Monday. Glass from the windows covered the kitchen and living room floors and damaged furniture. Santin was at home when the tornado struck around 5:15 p.m. He said he was sitting at the kitchen table with Lavern Hartford, his landlord, when they heard a loud noise. They ran for the basement. Santin made it, but Hartford had to duck and cover his head on the landing by the door. "It took 10 seconds at the most," he said. "It just came out of nowhere." Mrs. Santin was down the road picking up their two sons, ages 8 and 11, from Santin's mother's house when the tornado struck. She said she saw it from the kitchen window. "I didn't have any clue it was here," she said of her property.
"I cried for about two hours," she said and wiped her eyes. "I'm still crying now. It's very overwhelming. You just walk around in a daze." No one at the Santin home was injured, and for that, Mrs. Santin is grateful. "These are material things; they can be replaced," she said. "We have a lot of good friends who have come to help. They're irreplaceable." Santin is also thankful for the help of their friends. "Thank God you have neighbors to help out," he said. "Never mess with Mother Nature; she wins every time." Mike Moritz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hastings, was at Santin's home Wednesday. He believes the tornado that hit Santin's property was an F2. There were between four and seven tornadoes in Nance, Polk, Merrick and Hamilton counties Tuesday night. "It's hard to tell right now," he said.
Barb Sullivan's residence at 1627 Z Road, also north of Central City, was also damaged. The remains of a metal building littered the front yard and an empty field across the road. Damage in other rural areas included downed power lines, damaged pivots and irrigation pipe strew through fields. A trailer, irrigation pipes, vehicles, trees and outbuildings at 22nd and S Road were heavily damaged. Trees at 2105 W. R Road were damaged, and one tree was uprooted. The gutters, shingles and an antennae on the house were damaged as well. Lafayette Donnell was raking branches and leaves out of the yard. He works for Roger Peterson, whose mother-in-law lives in the home. "This isn't near as bad as that house," he said and pointed across the street. At 2104 N. R Road, windows and shingles were damaged. Andrew Simmons was at home with his son, age 7, and two daughters, ages 4 and 2, when the tornado struck around 5:45 p.m. He said his wife is out of town on business. A big tree in the front yard was snapped in half, power lines were downed, a child's jungle gym was left leaning, and several outbuildings and a tree house were destroyed. Simmons said his garage was also destroyed, and the minivan and pickup parked inside were damaged. Several neighbors came to help clean up the mess. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "More offered to help."
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