Monday marks the 10th anniversary of a tornado that damaged Harveyville, killed one person and hurt 12 others.
Harveyville Mayor Dustin Kuntz is among the people who still vividly remembers that evening.
The EF-2 tornado was on the ground for no more than five minutes, but even being no more than 150 yards wide at the base, it still caused notable destruction. With roughly 40 percent of the town suffering at least some damage, Kuntz says the next few weeks and months were “chaos” but life gradually improved, thanks to the attitude of residents and the outpouring of support from across the area and the state. Kuntz singled out Lyon County commissioner Scott Briggs, a Reading native who experienced the town’s tornado the year before and checked in periodically with Kuntz to see whether Kuntz was taking care of himself while he tried to take care of his community.
From Kuntz’s perspective, residents have adapted to the tornado’s aftermath are and looking ahead to new challenges and opportunities.
Shortly after the tornado, Harveyville United Methodist Church resumed its normal operations — a big step towards normality at that time. The city park was redone and a storm shelter was installed three years after the twister.
Right now, Kuntz says the town has several available sites for homes. Also, the Harveyville City Council is reviewing engineering studies on water distribution and the town’s aging sewer system for potential large-scale improvements down the road.
