July 3 2026 changed our worlds
In support of
The Guard Family
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The Guard Family
While working on Friday, July 3, 2026, I got an alert on my phone that we were under a Thunderstorm Warning. Glancing out a window, I acknowledged that there must be something heading our way because it looked fine at the time. A few short minutes later, the entire room eerily alerted all cell phone users that we were under a TORNADO WARNING (12:28-1:15) with audible alerts going off simultaneously. I left my work station and started walking towards our safe space, getting about halfway across the warehouse before the power started flashing. I claimed a chair and attempted to find some live weather coverage on my phone. I joked that I wasn’t concerned for my 17 year old son who was home alone because I was certain he would be playing video games in the basement until the power went out. It turns out, his afternoon was A LOT more chaotic than mine.
Sydney had been gaming and reported that the power DID go out. When his tornado warning went off on his phone, he went upstairs to get our Guard dog, Lucy, who was still in the driveway pawing at the door to get inside. He let her in and in true Midwest fashion, went to the living room window, sitting on the loveseat, to see if he could see anything. He witnessed the neighbors tree fall towards our house, missing us by about twenty feet. Suddenly, the house was hit with trees and was creaking loudly. At this point, he made his way to the basement and was trying to call me at work.
Sydney reported that it took about eight attempts to get the call to go through to me (12:46) and I didn’t believe him at first when he told me that trees fell on our house. I told him to stay in the basement, especially when he told me he couldn’t see out the front of the house at all. We talked for six minutes. At 12:55, my neighbor called my phone asking if I was home. I explained that Syd and Lucy were home and that I was across town at work. She informed me that everyone in the neighborhood had storm damage, that there was a tree on Logan’s car across the street but that my house was definitely the worst because there were trees on top of the house. At 12:59, Sydney texted about wanting to check on neighbor Nancy Ketterhagen. At 1:07, my neighbor called back to tell me that it was bad… really bad… and that they could hear my house creaking and suggested that I had to get home because they felt it was unsafe for Sydney and Lucy to be inside the house under that load of weight.
I zigzagged across town to get home, entering our subdivision and driving towards my house on a green road, covered with fallen leaves. My damaged house was barely visible from the road and the driveway almost gone. We could see that trees were poking through the front of our house and coming out the front peak of the house. Sydney had been directly under that room!
He and Lucy were SAFE!
From there, the day becomes a blur… fire department, police, and city inspector all made their rounds. The inspector glanced at the house and announced, “looks like you’re getting a brand new house” to which I replied, “you’re shitting me, right?” And that point, I flagged my mom over to listen because I think at that point, I was kind of in shock. From there, I was told we had to disconnect service for gas and electric so that we wouldn’t cause a fire when neighborhood power was restored. We’ve worked off of a borrowed generator, extension cords, lamps, and battery powered lights ever since. We were told to get the trees off the roof and afterwards, tarp them and save as many of our things that we could because rain will compromise the house quickly.
Family helped us tarp the roof for evening rain and we tried to move some food knowing our power would NOT be restored. Insurance told me that they would put us up in a hotel for three days. We crashed on my parent’s couch that first night because I hadn’t taken time out of my busy day to register for their housing company, instead focusing on the house and our utilities.
The holiday weekend slowed our progress in making connections but gave friends and family time to help us. We worked for the entire week, watching each day how the roof was continuing to shift and flex and more damage started to reveal itself, while continuing to salvage out belongings.
Our community pulled together searching for temporary housing for the boys, the dog and I.
Sleep had been elusive; I felt like I had aged five years in four days.
On day seven, I met with the adjuster who had been assigned to our case.
Sydney had been gaming and reported that the power DID go out. When his tornado warning went off on his phone, he went upstairs to get our Guard dog, Lucy, who was still in the driveway pawing at the door to get inside. He let her in and in true Midwest fashion, went to the living room window, sitting on the loveseat, to see if he could see anything. He witnessed the neighbors tree fall towards our house, missing us by about twenty feet. Suddenly, the house was hit with trees and was creaking loudly. At this point, he made his way to the basement and was trying to call me at work.
Sydney reported that it took about eight attempts to get the call to go through to me (12:46) and I didn’t believe him at first when he told me that trees fell on our house. I told him to stay in the basement, especially when he told me he couldn’t see out the front of the house at all. We talked for six minutes. At 12:55, my neighbor called my phone asking if I was home. I explained that Syd and Lucy were home and that I was across town at work. She informed me that everyone in the neighborhood had storm damage, that there was a tree on Logan’s car across the street but that my house was definitely the worst because there were trees on top of the house. At 12:59, Sydney texted about wanting to check on neighbor Nancy Ketterhagen. At 1:07, my neighbor called back to tell me that it was bad… really bad… and that they could hear my house creaking and suggested that I had to get home because they felt it was unsafe for Sydney and Lucy to be inside the house under that load of weight.
I zigzagged across town to get home, entering our subdivision and driving towards my house on a green road, covered with fallen leaves. My damaged house was barely visible from the road and the driveway almost gone. We could see that trees were poking through the front of our house and coming out the front peak of the house. Sydney had been directly under that room!
He and Lucy were SAFE!
From there, the day becomes a blur… fire department, police, and city inspector all made their rounds. The inspector glanced at the house and announced, “looks like you’re getting a brand new house” to which I replied, “you’re shitting me, right?” And that point, I flagged my mom over to listen because I think at that point, I was kind of in shock. From there, I was told we had to disconnect service for gas and electric so that we wouldn’t cause a fire when neighborhood power was restored. We’ve worked off of a borrowed generator, extension cords, lamps, and battery powered lights ever since. We were told to get the trees off the roof and afterwards, tarp them and save as many of our things that we could because rain will compromise the house quickly.
Family helped us tarp the roof for evening rain and we tried to move some food knowing our power would NOT be restored. Insurance told me that they would put us up in a hotel for three days. We crashed on my parent’s couch that first night because I hadn’t taken time out of my busy day to register for their housing company, instead focusing on the house and our utilities.
The holiday weekend slowed our progress in making connections but gave friends and family time to help us. We worked for the entire week, watching each day how the roof was continuing to shift and flex and more damage started to reveal itself, while continuing to salvage out belongings.
Our community pulled together searching for temporary housing for the boys, the dog and I.
Sleep had been elusive; I felt like I had aged five years in four days.
On day seven, I met with the adjuster who had been assigned to our case.
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Judiadams86 3 days ago
Kimberly Trakas-Lois about 7 hours ago