One week after an EF-3 tornado tore through Menasha and the Fox Valley, residents are still picking up the pieces, working to restore power, and leaning on one another to move forward.
Carla Williamson lost her childhood home in the storm — the house moved three feet back, three feet off its foundation, then slid into the basement and collapsed on top of her. She was rescued by neighbors and first responders.
"I'm alive, and because I'm alive I am now going to use that to try and get help for the people around here," Williamson said.
Despite losing everything, Williamson started a GoFundMe to raise money for her neighbors to cover their losses.
"Ten bucks, 100 bucks, I don't care what it is," Williamson said.
"I don't need the help; I'll be okay, but there are people in this neighborhood that don't have the insurances, don't have the jobs," Williamson said.
Across the street, David Sokoloski has lived in his home for 27 years. He described the moment the tornado hit.
"All I heard was boom, wam bam, wam, and then I started getting rained on. So I came back up after it calmed down and I knew my neighbor was across the street so I went over to go and help her," Sokoloski said.
Now, his home is damaged beyond repair.
"A nightmare. Never be the same... long as I'm living," Sokoloski said.
Sokoloski said volunteers have shown up to help.
"We have good Samaritans, came over, cleaned up our yard totally, 20 people total; other people came by with resources whatever we needed, fantastic," Sokoloski said.
Neighbor Penny Gustafson echoed that sentiment.
"The people in the community have been absolutely amazing, amazing," Gustafson said.
Menasha Utilities says 90 percent of its customers have power restored. However, in the areas where Williamson and Sokoloski live, and on Doty Island, crews are still rebuilding structures to restore power.
In Fox Crossing, a boil water advisory has been lifted, and residents can now safely drink the water.
Menasha police say since last Thursday, there have been no additional arrests or citations related to curfew and no incidents related to looting.
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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