Letter to the Editor

Tornado memories

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Dear Editor,

My grandparents, Vanie and Nellie Modrell, had the roof blown off their home at 1312 West First St. in this tornado ["The McCook tornado of 1928" (http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1441059.html)]. I remember seeing a picture of the home without the roof.

My dad, Lyle Modrell, told us that he and his mom were sitting on a bed in the basement.

A beam or board flew over their heads, narrowly missing them.

When we were growing up, there was a room in their basement that was supposed to be tornado-proof.

It was probably a room that had received some extra fortification after the tornado.

I don't know how tornado-proof it really was, but do know we felt very safe there.

Marilyn Modrell Corey,

Iowa

via e-mail

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My family and I used to live at 1304 west 1st. street back in 1972. We were told the house was completely destroyed by the 1928 tornado and was rebuilt their on site. There was a manhole cover in the garage that when opened went into a safe shelter below the basement floor. So I guess being in the basement only wasn't good enough. Really enjoy reading these stories about the past, brings back a lot of memories.

-- Posted by Bigg Bird on Wed, Jul 2, 2008, at 3:41 AM

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