MENASHA, Wis. — The Menasha Water Filtration plant was in the direct path of the EF-3 tornado that ripped through parts of the Fox Valley Monday. It sustained catastrophic damage, forcing the city to outsource its water supply.
Plant manager, Adam Smith, and seven other employees survived the storm without a scratch after taking cover in the facility's severe weather shelter as the tornado made a direct hit.
"We heard the tornado sirens go off, got notifications on all of our phones," Smith said. "Went down into our severe weather shelter and took cover from there."
From the shelter, Smith and his staff watched the destruction unfold in real time through the plant's security camera footage.
Watch: Water plant employees describe terrifying moments an EF-3 tornado hit Menasha
"We actually watched the tree across the street land on my truck," Smith explained.
When the plant lost power, conditions inside the shelter became alarming.
"All of our ears really started popping and plugging up because of the pressure differential," Smith said. "The most frightening thing was when the roof started collapsing and hearing all the beams come down. Being inside of our severe weather shelter just hoping nothing would fall on top of that and crush it," Smith added.
The plant typically draws water from Lake Winnebago, treats it, and distributes it to customers. That process is now entirely offline.
"Even our backup generator is damaged at this point. All the electric conduits are damaged, gas mains throughout, communications, the west side of the building is a complete teardown at this point," Smith said.
The city has outsourced its water supply to Neenah, which is now distributing water to Menasha customers. Smith said there should be no disruption for those residents.
Parts of the Fox Valley are under a boil water advisory. Smith said residents should check their water bill to confirm who their distributor is before taking precautions.
There is no timeline for when the plant will be back in operation. It remains unclear whether the building can be restored or will need to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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