WANBLEE, S.D. – The residents of Wanblee aren’t convinced that what damaged 27 buildings and left seven families homeless were merely straight-line winds as stated by the U.S. Weather Bureau.
Lt. Don Doyle of the Oglala Public Safety Department in Wanblee, on the eastern side of the Pine Ridge Reservation, said he was told by at least three people they saw funnel clouds on the ground that actually crossed each other, if that’s possible.
The June 9 storm came without the usual warning, just TV reports of possible thunderstorm activity, people in the Eagle Nest District Office said.
But a corner of Crazy Horse School building was taken off, the debris scattered for more than 100 yards with no other damage on either side of the building. If the tornado had moved to the south by 50 yards, the new Recreation Center that opened in February would have been destroyed.
The home of Vern and Keena Standing Soldier, overlooking Wanblee to the west, most likely was the first hit. The roof was taken off. At the time there were 18 people in the home, one of whom was a paraplegic in a motorized wheel chair, which made it difficult to evacuate, law enforcement officers said.
From the Standing Soldier home a path where the grass had been laid down can be seen. The path is about 50 yards wide.
One trailer home in Wanblee was destroyed, but two adjacent ones were not damaged. A large cottonwood tree dropped to the ground in a ditch along the road and other trees lost branches.
The Eagle Nest commodities building roof was blown off and in many parts of Wanblee and south of town fiberglass insulation can be found.
Crews were busy covering buildings with plastic and loading debris in trucks to be hauled away three days after the storm
An elderly woman in the Lakota Fund housing project south of town refused to leave her home. She is residing in a home with a clear plastic roof. The insulation from her home can be seen along Highway 44 caught in fences and in the fields. Many of those who are homeless are living in motels in Kadoka or with relatives.
Elgin Young, an OST police officer, was on the phone in his home at the time of the storm when he heard a loud crash, law enforcement officials said. A portion of the roof from his neighbor’s home struck and indented the side of his. Debris from his neighbor’s roof lies alongside his home. Both homes are covered with plastic.
Two people were injured during the storm, both hit by doors. They were taken by ambulance to the Martin Hospital where they were treated and released.
Doyle said to complicate matters, Robert Quiver Sr. was bitten in the shoulder by a rattlesnake that took shelter in his woodpile. It took one of the two ambulances to transport him for airlift to a hospital. Quiver is doing fine now, Doyle said.
The morning of June 12, three days after the tornadoes hit, dark clouds began to emerge on the western horizon putting fear back into the minds of the Wanblee residents. Doyle said he received calls asking if another storm was coming.
“Relatives stepped up and took people in. In time of need all disagreements are gone, I’m gratified for that,” Doyle said.
“In time of need, everyone cooperates. For a disaster things went pretty smooth,” he said.
Doyle said police made a strong presence in Wanblee after the storm, in case of looting, which he said did not occur. He said all nine officers in the Eagle Nest District put in more than 24-hour shifts and volunteers also helped.
He said he couldn’t praise the officers enough for what they went through. He said they left Wanblee at 4:30 on Saturday morning, stopped at an all-night party and arrested a few people, went on to Pine Ridge to help with the Camp Justice March to White Clay and then returned home.
Doyle said he had just gone to sleep when his family woke him up. He said the dust was blowing and he told his family to get into the basement. People called him to ask about the storm or about “loved ones who were missing. We found everyone, the last one at noon the next day,” he said.
Doyle tried to open the door of his home, but even with his strength, he said he couldn’t until the storm had passed. “It was still hard to open.”
Lesley Ashley, manager at the Eagle Nest District, said she witnessed the storm while in a car about one-half mile from where the most damage occurred.
Other people said it was scary, dark and dust and debris flying everywhere. The wind came, the dust blew, buildings were damaged and there was no rain, witness said.
Jackson County, where Wanblee is located, filed for an emergency disaster declaration. Three days after the storm, FEMA officials had not been on the scene. They need to be called in by the governor. Rep. John Thune, R-S.D., sent a member of his staff to the area to assess the damage. There were reports of some wind damage at Kadoka, just north of Wanblee.
