Dennis Lierd says a tornado destroyed the deck and bandstand of his Luna Mesa Restaurant and also damaged his motor home and boat.
Lierd said he and his daughter Chavun, 10, were the only ones around the Caineville restaurant Sunday afternoon when the twister hit."The wind was barely blowing, then all of a sudden (the tornado) touched down about 100 yards to the west," Lierd said. "I could see a funneling motion moving toward my restaurant. Limbs were flying out of the trees."
Moments later, a pile of lumber was airborne. "I had 48 to 60 pieces of plywood and it was flinging them about like a deck of cards. And 300 2-by-4s flying the same way, just like a bunch of matchsticks," he said.
Chavun screamed as Lierd ran and closed the front door. "It was blowing so hard it was taking things off the wall. I thought the roof was going to come down. Then the wind just stopped."
Lierd looked out an eastside window in time to see the funnel rise up 60 feet and come down on his motor home.
"It lifted it off the ground 11/2 to 2 feet and slammed it down on its side. It picked my boat up and threw it sideways into a fence. Then it headed over a big, open field next to my place, a big old cloud circling with lots of stuff in it - papers, tree limbs and dirt."
That sounded like a tornado to National Weather Service meteorologist William Alder, although he is not discounting the possibility it could be a microburst, a strong downdraft produced by a thunderstorm.
Sunday's incident is Utah's 70th reported tornado since 1950, the sixth in Wayne County.
Bishop Weigand issues
a message for Easter
Bishop William K. Weigand of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City and Utah, issued the following message for Easter:
Easter celebrates life and hope. Jesus' triumph over death and evil can be our triumph, too. Christ's victory, for example, beckons to those caught in the chill of strained relationships; to those powerless at watching a loved one suffer the ravages of illness or addiction, of unemployment or aging. Easter assures those who are plagued by personal and family problems that their lives can still be different, that they can rise from the ashes to something new and beautiful.
The transformed life of a recovering alcoholic attests to this. So, too, does the turn-around of a nearly failed marriage or the restored peace and direction of one who has returned to God and spiritual values. Into our human vulnerability and need can come power for transformation.
Our world, too, is beset by seemingly insurmountable difficulties. But the resurrection of Jesus holds out hope that things can change; that we need not drift inexorably to destruction; that peoples can learn to help one another and live in trust and interdependence.
Our newly restored Cathedral of the Madeleine might well be a symbol of Easter resurrection. Only a couple of years ago this building was dim, dreary and disheveled. It was also vulnerable to fire and seismic hazards. After much effort, work and God's abundant blessing, the cathedral is now sound and safe, bright and beautiful, resplendent in colors and artistry. In Jesus' resurrection we, too, have power to leave behind our negative and self-destructive ways and experience transformation.
For disciples of Jesus, Easter is an expectation of new life and growth in the midst of adversity, the blossoming of peace and fresh purpose. So let us come to the Risen Lord, who loves us so totally and is our source of new possibility. May we be open to receive his gift of new life and committed to nurturing it in one another. Happy Easter.