Stearns County family cleaning up after Saturday's storm tore through farm
PAYNESVILLE, Minn. — A Stearns County family is counting their blessings after surviving Saturday night's storm.
Zenner Farms is located about seven miles north of Paynesville. At about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, high winds ripped through their home and buildings.
"It's the first time I've witnessed this. I was just trying to keep my family safe in the basement," said Daniel Zenner.
No sooner did Zenner get his wife and five kids to the basement than the storm blew the windows out of their house.
"Thank God that we were, we went downstairs when we did because I would have had glass shards sticking into me," said Zenner. "That was the scariest part for my kids was they thought the house was blowing away."
Luckily the Zenners and their livestock were OK, but their farm took a beating. While the cattle barn roof collapsed, the machine shed roof was completely torn off.
Not only did the storm take the roof off the machine shed and throw it into the woods, but the strong winds threw pieces of wood, like spears, into the ground.
It's possible the sheer force of the storm came from the 95 mph winds and tornado that hit Melrose just 15 miles away.
"Everything has a little damage, some has a lot of damage. It all needs to be gone through again," said Allan Zenner.
With harvest season a couple of months away, the Zenners estimate $15,000 worth of damage or more was done to their combine, and their corn is another story.
"It was perfect. The corn was like the nicest in years. Now it's not," said Allan Zenner.
Still, they know it could have been even worse.
"It happened so fast, it was over so quick, I was just trying to keep the kids safe. That was what I was focused on," said Daniel Zenner.
The Zenners said they are thankful for friends and neighbors who stopped by after the storm to check on their family and property.