A family escaped harm when a sudden tornado hit their home in Waupaca County, thanks in part to the quick action of the mother.
Waupaca County officials say a mother and her three children were inside a house in Dupont Monday, when the heard the wind pick up outside at around 5 pm. The woman quickly moved her four and seven-year-old children under a staircase, but then had to run upstairs to get a one-year-old to safety. They were able to join the other two children under the stairs just as the tornado hit, tearing off the roof of the house and leveling a nearby shed.
The tornado then moved along the road, destroying a barn and damaging another house before moving on.
The tornado was one of several believed to have touched down Monday along a 50 mile stretch of northeast Wisconsin. The National Weather Service Web site listed three twisters in Waupaca and Shawano counties, while spotters reported up to five tornadoes in those two counties plus Oconto. The NWS will inspect damage in all three counties to see what actually happened.
Official damage estimates have not been released. No injuries were reported.
WSAU