One recent Pella High School graduate caught the tornado that ravaged Vermeer Corporation on video.
Elise Beukelman was traveling with her family on Old Highway 163, and turned north on 240th Place when her mother first noticed the storm.
“I just remember I was trying to film these cool aqua colors that were in the sky and I just remember hearing her gasp and turned the camera, and we just saw this huge funnel coming down,” she says.
From there, Beukelman made it to the intersection of Vermeer Road, where she saw the powerful tornado cross the street.
“It was actually kind of hard to see the storm when we were there because there was so much wind and rain and debris everywhere, so we really couldn’t see it hitting Vermeer-we could see it after it moved into the cornfield,” she recalls.
She was able to see the damage soon after, and says she will remember the immediate response of emergency services from around the area to come help.
“There was a really good sense of camaraderie there too, because of one the things I will remember the most is hearing the constant stream of sirens coming in.”
Stay tuned to KNIA/KRLS for continued coverage of last week’s tornado in Pella.