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May 25, 2009 5:57 pm US/Central
1 Year After Hugo Tornado, Most Homes Rebuilt
HUGO, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Dan McKeague's house was completely destroyed with him inside. It took nine months for McKeague to rebuild a bigger, better home on the same spot.
CBS
On this Memorial Day, many are remembering loved ones they lost. But for one Hugo neighborhood it's a day to reflect on those who survived a devastating tornado exactly one year ago.
That's the day a storm ripped through the newly-developed area of Hugo. Much of the neighborhood was demolished but nearly everyone has rebuilt and moved forward.
Looking at the charming homes and streets filled with children playing it's hard to believe a year ago, the area was mostly rubble.
A year later there's still a way to go, said tornado victim Aron Vokaty . He and his family came home minutes before the tornado tore through their home.
"The tail of it was right in the back yard," recalled Vokaty.
It caused extensive damage. Blocks and blocks of homes were ripped apart.
Dan McKeague's house was completely destroyed with him inside. It took nine months for McKeague to rebuild this bigger, better home on the same spot.
"When we moved into this new house we didn't have anything. We didn't have any appliances, we didn't have any couches, loveseats, chairs, dishes, silverware, we had to buy everything," said McKeague.
Vokaty's home needed extensive repairs.
"Windows, roof, siding," explained Vokaty.
There's still work to be done, but McKeague and his neighbors at a cabin in Brainerd focused on the lives saved.
"It made us all realize how blessed we were and how lucky we got," he said.
Two-year-old Nathaniel Prindle died and his sister Annika was severely injured in the tornado. The Prindle family has since moved out of the neighborhood.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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