Athol News: Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, Toto! It’s a twister!
Wild weather hit the area between Spirit Lake and Bayview on Friday afternoon, when a twister touched down before my eyes.
Having just finished getting a haircut at my favorite salon in Athol, I drifted over to the American Legion Post 149 to check on local happenings.
At around 4:30 p.m., the wind picked up and the sky darkened ominously. Recalling that thunderstorms were in the forecast, I noticed what appeared to be blowing dust just south of state Highway 54 in Athol. Since I had left my car window open, I rushed outside to close it before it rained.
It became obvious that the dust cloud was traveling at high speed in a tight circle. The purple and black cloud was down at ground level.
Alas, with my camera sitting at home, I couldn’t get a picture.
The realization that I was observing a small tornado from only about 50 feet away activated my survival instincts. Racing around to the back of the Legion building, I re-entered.
The power had gone out several minutes before, but one phone in the office still was working. Calling every Spokesman-Review phone number I had memorized, I reached Dave Oliveria of “Huckleberries.”
He was monitoring a scanner and heard a report of an injured woman at Thimbleberry Group Campground at Farragut State Park.
The funnel cloud had passed, so I jetted out to the car and headed for the Thimbleberry Campground.
Upon arrival, I saw several folks looking rather sodden, but there were no downed trees nor any injuries.
Then I headed for Bayview and home territory. When I stopped at the Captain’s Wheel, the lights were out there, but the crew had broken out the lanterns, cranked up the outdoor grill and was ready for emergency vittles.
Then the sun came back out, the water calmed and the area was back to as close to normal as Bayview gets in the summer.
After checking for damage near home, I grabbed my camera. Never will I leave it at home again.
In the meantime, the kids at the Captain’s Wheel had broken out their fishing poles.
One of them, 6-year-old Joey Kasperson, hooked a street sign. His mother, co-manager Marie, ran out to help him.
Joey had hooked the Lime Kiln Street sign, which had been firmly in the ground on the street side of the building. It was found floating 300 feet away.
Joey posed proudly with his trophy, which, sadly, will have to be given back to the highway department.
I do not have a storm casualty list for Bayview or Athol, but reports indicate that several trees were blown down, with at least one garage also a victim.