FOND DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. — When you walk through the Village of Oakfield on a cool April day, you are struck by the calm and quiet. In many ways, Oakfield is just like any other small agricultural town dotting the map of eastern Wisconsin. However, on a warm summer night nearly 25 years ago, that quiet was broken and changed this community forever.
On the night of July 18th, 1996 an EF5 tornado, the strongest on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, struck just outside of town. More than 60 homes were destroyed, many people sustained injuries, but fortunately, no one was killed.
“It was quite different, to see the houses gone and trees destroyed. How do you repair, how do you rebuild?” said Gary Collien, a longtime Oakfield resident.
Collien was the Oakfield Fire Chief back in 1996. As he walks the streets of downtown a quarter century later, the memories are as vivid as if it happened yesterday. As he walks around town, he shows how much damage it caused.
“Were getting up close now to where the devastation started hitting pretty hard. Used to be the grocery store over here,” Collien said as he pointed to a lot which now houses a small park.
The memories remain etched in Tony O’Malley’s mind forever as well. O’Malley was the Oakfield Village President in 1996. He recalled getting his family to safety in the basement just in time before the tornado struck. When he emerged from his basement after the storm passed, O’Malley said viewing the damage around town was overwhelming.
“All I could see was destruction. I was the Village President. I literally gulped and said my God I am the Village President, what do you do now?” said O’Malley.
Slowly but surely the Village of Oakfield rebuilt. However, despite the calm being back in this community, the memories remain and lessons exist.
Former Chief Collien said on the day of the tornado most residents took the tornado warnings seriously and sought shelter when they heard tornado sirens or watched coverage on television. He and others in the community say the fact that people heeded the warnings likely contributed to the fact that no one was killed. Today, he said storm prediction and ways of getting information out have only improved.
“Nowadays most people have cell phones which is great, because they are getting alerts on their cellphones to keep them alert of what is going on with the weather. Forecasts are a lot better now than and more advanced information given out for when watches and warnings come,” said Collien.
Despite increased technology and warnings a tornado can still strike at any time and in any location around Wisconsin. The people of Oakfield know that if it can happen in this small community, it can happen anywhere.