LOMIRA, Wis. — Residents of the Oak Creek Park neighborhood in Lomira spent Thursday cleaning up after a Wednesday storm blew a large tree into at least one mobile home and tore the roof completely off a nearby apartment complex.
Displaced apartment residents have access to a Red Cross shelter in town. Most residents in the neighborhood said they have insurance coverage and are ready to clean up as soon as possible, though they are keeping a close eye on the forecast as more severe weather is possible.
Sharlene Kostritza was inside her mobile home when the storm hit, sending two tree branches through her roof.
"When it came, it scared me. I was shaking," she said. "That was scary! I was on the phone with my daughter, and I screamed, and she said, 'What happened?' I said Dad is covered! Haha. The roof fell in... I was just scared."
Despite the damage, Kostritza said she is counting her blessings.
"I was shocked!" she said. "This has never happened to me at all so it was like, wow! I'm thankful it was just those two spots."
Watch: Lomira neighbors thankful no one was hurt as community cleans up after damaging storm
Her family helped patch the holes in her roof as she braces for more weather. But the experience has left her shaken.
"I am scared to death!" she said. "I'm looking at the sky, and I don't want this to happen again!"
Kostritza said the community response has been heartwarming and also had a message for anyone who may face a similar situation.
"When the weathermen say find your safe spot, find your safe spot, go!" she said. "This could happen to you, and you don't want that."
Her neighbor Gene Wenzlaff was also home when the storm hit and said the experience was difficult to put into words.
"How did it feel in that moment when the storm hit?" he said. "It's hard to describe. It went so quick. I saw the flash out of that window over there."
Wenzlaff said the tree landing between the two trailers rather than directly on either home was nothing short of a miracle.
"I thanked God right away. Because look where it landed. Right between us. It hardly hit my garage at all."
He said the storm's power was on full display when it bent his industrial umbrella pole in half.
"You can imagine… if something like that would come off and hit somebody, it would kill them."
Wenzlaff said the neighborhood has come together in the aftermath.
"Everybody is coming together to help, pick up stuff, and everything."
Drone video shows the full scope of the damage on the north end of Lomira, including the apartment complex with its roof completely blown off.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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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