Heidi Michaels, 25, who teaches at Climax Public School, was helping out at the store to give her father a day off on his 58th birthday when the tornado hit this lakeside community of 150 about 50 miles east of Grand Forks, N.D.
But Wes Michaels didn't stay away, said the report. After hearing tornado warnings just before 6:30 [image-nocss] p.m., he stopped at the store to alert Heidi and any customers about the storm potential. Shortly after arriving, he went outside, spotted the tornado and ran back in to tell them to take cover in a walk-in cooler, his son-in-law, Josh Bolstad, told the newspaper.
"Wes saw the tornado and told them to start running to the cooler. They only had seconds," he said.
As customers took cover, Wes Michaels laid down on top of his daughter. "He covered her and saved her life," added Bolstad.
Heidi received relatively minor injuries, including bruises, said the report, and at press time, another victim remained in serious condition.
The tornado cut a narrow path through the region, toppling campers, boats and dock, added a report by The Grand Forks Herald. But it left virtually untouched the Mentor Dairy Queen next door, and Harlan's Boats R-Us, just across the street.
From the window of his business, Harlan Kirkeide watched as the tornado ripped through trees to the south of the Dairy Queen and Cenex station, then swallow a small shed on the Dairy Queen property. "Then, two cars were 20, 25 feet in the air over at the c-sStore," he said. "Then, the whole thing just exploded. Then, it was over. It took about 10 seconds."
Michaels was one of three people killed Thursday by a turbulent system that fueled twisters across Minnesota, the News Tribune said. State officials reported 39 tornado touchdowns. If that figure is confirmed, it would exceed the previous state record of 27 sightings in one day, in 1992.
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