Over a year has passed now since our little hometown was hit by an EF-5 tornado with winds in excess of 250 miles per hour.  The southern one-third of town was totally destroyed, the middle one-third went from severe damage on the southern edge to moderate damage to the north.  The northern one-third of town was virtually untouched.  Altogether over 200 homes were completely destroyed along with 25 businesses and our local high school campus.

The photo above is of what was left of my son's garage (and of his 2002 Ford Lightning pickup truck).  Several other vehicles were lost or severely damaged including my own 1969 Mustang Mach 1 R-Code 428 CobraJet.

Parkersburg has done a remarkable job of rebuilding thanks to a lot of midwestern grit and determination plus a bundle of insurance money and a great deal of assistance from FEMA and the State of Iowa.

My son's home (and that of his in-laws) was totally destroyed by the tornado.  Our own home suffered substantial damage and has been repaired.

BlueStem Winery was undamaged by the tornado (it is located in the northern one-third of town) but we were closed for about 10 days after the storm (no electric or gas service and the National Guard was not letting anyone into town).  We have been up and running ever since.