KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Repairs are complete and dozens of residents settled into their homes Wednesday, months after a tornado damaged Round House Manor in Kaukauna this spring.
No one was injured in the May storm. Still, one survivor says it was a night she will never forget.
Round House Manor resident Cathy Schroeder says she was reading when the storm struck.
“The rain was coming down. And it was just pouring and the wind was just crazy. It was just blowing. The noise was just incredible, and all of a sudden, there was a great big crack,” said Schroeder.
Schroeder says the power went out and the sirens came on.
“It was like, oh my God, and first of all, you think, ‘Well, is that for me?’ It was like, ‘Yeah, I think it’s for everybody.’ So we all had to get out of our apartments,” she said.
“The east wing is the wing that was severely damaged. We’re talking in total, 45 residents in the property. Roughly 22 of them were in hotels for an extended period of time,” said Stuart Hartman, Retirement Housing Foundation president and CEO.
Hartman says that extended stay lasted five months. On Wednesday morning, a ceremony welcomed them home.
“We felt that all residents should be encouraged to celebrate with us. So that their neighbors are all home. We’re glad to have them back,” said Hartman.
The roof has been replaced, and Round House Manor residents say they are starting to get comfortable. Schroeder says she will always remember May 21.
“Find a way to get through. I hardly ever cried, and I’m thankful for that. I had a strong constitution and I was able to just keep going,” she said.
Round House Manor residents also received $100 gift card to help with expenses.
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