LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
FLEETWOOD (Berks Co.)
After a weekend of entertaining
company, Judy and Luke Kurtz
and daughter Tammy, 16, kicked
off their shoes and sank into the
family room furniture to relax and
munch on some popcorn.
The calm was interrupted when
son Jon, 20, burst through the door
and screamed, “Tornado! Get to
the basement!”
Dazed by his unexpected alarm,
instead of going to the basement,
the family ran outside where they
spotted the funnel-shaped cloud
swirling toward their silos.
As the family rushed to the base
ment, Luke yelled that he was
going to close bedroom windows.
He surmised that the tornado
would kick up a lot of wind and
dirt, but never anticipated disaster.
Concern for his dad drove Jon to
rush up the steps in an attempt to
coerce his dad to forget the win
dows and go to the basement for
shelter.
When Jon reached the top of the
bedroom stairs, he went to die bed
room on the right. Immediately the
door slammed behind him. Jon, a
strong, muscular 20-year-old, tried
to open the door but the wind suc
tion kept him from budging it. In
the meantime, Luke, unaware that
Jon had followed him, realized the
impending danger and ran back to
the basement
Jon heard the bam collapsing,
the wind shrieking, the thud of fall
ing trees, and glass splintering. As
the roof and attic above him tore
off, the door opened and Jon ran
for the basement admidst flying
glass and debris.
A large air conditioner crashed
to the floor as he ran past it but he
made it to the basement without
injury.
The family huddled together in
the middle of the basement, their
arms wrapped around each other,
crying, praying flying debris
stinging their legs.
Then it was over.
They ventured up the basement
steps, through the dining room and
kitchen to the outdoors. They had
expected damage, but not the
devastation they saw.
Splintered timbers, uprooted
trees, twisted metal, and clothing
were strewn everywhere.
Only the stone-gabled ends of
the barn stood upright. Two of the
four silos had disintegrated. Four
of their cars were demolished
beneath the crumbled concrete
block walls, fallen garage doors,
and roof.
But the most shocking part was
the house.
“It wasn’t until we were outside
and looked up that we realized the
upper part of our house was gone,”
Judy said.
As they examined the wreckage
in greater detail, they realized how
much worse it could have been.
“If the storm had come an hour
later, we would have been in bed—
and dead,” Judy said as they
surveyed the master bedroom. The
brick exterior walls and chimney
had landed in their bedroom, from
which more than five tons of bricks
were removed during cleanup.
Tammy’s' bedroom walls and
furnishings were also gone, her
bed found in splinters.
The bedroom where Jon was
trapped during the storm and a
Tornado Rips Through Berks County
No House, No Barn, No Cars
‘But We Have Each Other’
spare bedroom were the least
damaged.
Hundreds of friends, neighbors,
and strangers came to help clean
up at sunup the following day.
Most of the property’s trees lay
uprooted. The few that stood were
stripped of most of the limbs and
leaves and bore evidence of the
storm’s viciousness. A shredded
patchwork quilt hung from a
branch, twisted metal and tin were
wrapped around a limb, and a golf
club hung precariously. Splintered
wood, clothing, crumpled tin,
twisted metal, and yam lay strewn
across acres of farm land.
Throughout the day, the
idiosyncrasies of the storm con
tinued to amaze people.
A thin piece of paper had pene
trated a tree trunk crosswise. It was
so tightly ingrained that it could
not be pulled out
A large piece of equipment
would be gone while beside it a
much lighter piece remained
untouched.
Luke was concerned about his
office where all the records for his
high moisture com business were
kept. Amazingly, even though
large items had been swept away,
the papers lying on his desk were
still there just as he had left them.
The computer and its records were
intact.
“Things are just things. They
can be replaced. But we have each
other. That’s the most important,”
Judy said.
Still, the loss carries a great deal
of aching. “Losing your house is
almost like losing a best friend,”
Judy said. “Everyday I had cared
for it, cleaned it. It held so many
memories.”
Those who know Judy know
how much she transformed that
1860’s house into a showcase of
primitive country decor. With anti
ques, collectibles, and hex sewing
expertise, Judy had an eye on how
to bring out the most appealing
features of the home.
Despite her extensive decorat
ing ability, for which folks
traveled great distances to admire,
the home was better known as a
great place to gather for fun and
fellowship.
Their home was the place for
large gatherings of family and
friends. Overnight and week-long
stays were common, and many
refer to Judy as the most hospitable
hostess known.
So this house was no ordinary
house. Not only does the family
mourn, but also those who have
been guests.
“I can’t believe it,” said Dr.
Clair Martin, president of Cumber
land University, Tenn. “We were
there for the weekend. Everything
was so beautiful. It was so peaceful
to sit under the trees and see miles
of open farmland. I told them that
they could get a million bucks for
the place if they were to advertise it
with contents intact in the “Wall
Street Journal.”
Despite the traumatic loss, the
family remains upbeat, focusing
on the good, believing that God
has a purpose in everything.
Still, the void is felt in unex
pected moments for the family.
Two days after the tornado,
Judy called her dentist to ask about
what to do about some pain she
was feeling in her mouth from
recent dental work. The reception
ist said the dentist was busy and
Three of the family’s car are demolished from the rubble that landed on them during
the tornado, another car was damaged. Amazingly, Tammy’s car, which was parked in
a wooden shed against the barn, was undamaged.
Only the stone gable ends remain of the barn. Two silos collapsed. The two that
remained standing have outer damage on the elevators and other parts but appear to
be stable. However, a few days later, It was discovered that the silo roof was peppered
with holes and the corn stored inside was wet from the storms. No animals were In the
barn, which was used for equipment storage.
The room to the left Is where Jon was trapped during the tornado. The right-front
bedroom was Tammy’s. Her bed lies in splinters beneath the rubble.
asked Judy for her telephone num
ber in order to return the call.
Reality swept over Judy. "I have
no telephone. . .1 have no
house.. .1 have no car,” she
sobbed.
But moments later, Judy’s sense
of humor prevailed as she said,
“You know, I always wanted cen
tral air.”
The toil of cleaning up
continues.
V
' Everyday volunteers show up to
sort through the debris, to comb
the fields, to move endless equip
ment, furnishings, and to salvage
(Turn to Pago A4l)