Tornado
At 4:00 p.m. a tornado of approximately F4 intensity cut through the heart of Sauk Rapids. It was one of at least four tornadoes that affected the region between 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. that day. It had a maximum width of 1/2 mile (0.8 km) and was on the ground for 14 miles (22 km). As the storm moved across the Mississippi River it temporarily sucked it dry. Some of the structures the tornado destroyed included an iron truss bridge spanning the Mississippi River, the post office, courthouse, a flour mill, a school, and two churches. Fifteen rail cars were demolished, and iron rails from the train track were pulled up and mangled. After it passed through Sauk Rapids it moved on to Rice where it killed 11 people in a wedding party when the home they were in was destroyed. In all, 72 people were killed by the twister, including 38 in Sauk Rapids and 20 in St. Cloud. Over 200 more were injured.
Read more about this topic: 1886 Sauk Rapids Tornado
Famous quotes containing the word tornado:
“The sumptuous age of stars and images is reduced to a few artificial tornado effects, pathetic fake buildings, and childish tricks which the crowd pretends to be taken in by to avoid feeling too disappointed. Ghost towns, ghost people. The whole place has the same air of obsolescence about it as Sunset or Hollywood Boulevard.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)