2008 Windsor Tornado Hasn't Deterred Homebuilding In America's Most Twister-Prone County
WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The damage from Monday's tornado in Platteville is estimated to cost more than $101,000, according to Weld County officials. The impact has some residents reflecting on Colorado's costliest tornado, which hit Windsor 13 years ago.
There was no doubt the giant dark cloud meant trouble on May 22, 2008 when the tornado rolled into Weld County. Carla Evans remembers that day well.
"It was real scary," she told CBS4's Rick Sallinger. "We were at work and we could see what was going on so we hit the basement real quick."
Windsor looked like a giant debris field after the twister had passed. A total of 850 homes were damaged or destroyed. One person was killed and 75 others were injured.
Today, Windsor has new homes where the destroyed ones once stood.
"The way we are issuing building permits and the way people are moving to town I don't think anybody looks at this as tornado alley," said Scott Ballstadt, Windsor Town Planner.
Crews rebuilt Windsor Town Hall and the Windsor Mill Tavern is back open on Main Street. People don't seem to mind living in the county with the most tornadoes in the U.S.
Greg Hanson with the National Weather Service says Weld County covers a large distance in an area where tornadoes are more common. Most of the tornadoes in northern Colorado are small, unlike the large 2008 twister that leveled parts of Windsor.
What happened on Monday near Platteville was bad enough, but minor in comparison to what Windsor experienced 13 years ago.
"Tornadoes don't scare you?" CBS4's Rick Sallinger asked Evans.
"They do scare me, but I'm always hoping that it's not going to happen to me hopefully," she laughed.