A tornado that sounded like a "steady locomotive" ripped through this rural community, injuring at least 14 people and leaving hundreds homeless.
"There are dozens of homes down . . . a lot of damage," Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel said.He estimated that half of Oakfield was leveled by the twister that hit sometime after 7 p.m. Thursday. The town, 50 miles northwest of Milwaukee, has about 1,000 residents.
The area worst hit looked like a "bombed-out town," he said.
Two people were hospitalized in serious condition and 12 were in stable condition. The types of injuries were not available.
The tornado was part of a severe weather system in the Midwest that also dumped record rain on Illinois. The system had moved out of the Wisconsin area today and the forecast called for milder weather with partly cloudy skies.
In the tornado's aftermath, residents walked up and down streets scattered with tree trunks, pieces of glass and sheets of metal.
Standing in front of what used to be his house, Tim Shady said he heard the tornado approaching "like a loud, steady locomotive."
He and his family went to the basement and took refuge under a pool table. Debris shot through the windows and landed around them, he said.