Oklahoma Tornado Carnage 'Reopens Wounds' of Fridley Tornadoes for 1965 First Responder

Mike Holst of Crosslake was a first responder when tornadoes struck Fridley 48 years ago this week. In an opinion article in the Brainerd Dispatch, Holst warns that rescuers who responded to the deadly twister in Moore, OK will long "remember a day that was—as if it was yesterday."

An excerpt from Holst's Brainerd Dispatch article:

Every natural tragedy, like the tornadoes this week in Oklahoma, bring a floodgate of memories to all of the people, who once worked or are still working as first responders. I know for me it was Fridley, Minn., in 1965. How well I remember the eerie darkness that night as it fell over a community shredded by tornadoes. It was the hopeless feeling of where to start when it came to finding and helping the survivors. There were gas lines hissing and a phone ringing somewhere in the rubble. There was an old lady with a small wicker basket, digging through ruins with a flashlight in her trembling hand, looking for something. Anything, that was once one of her precious possessions, until rescue workers took her away crying to a safe place. A house where only the front steps remained but there sat the family dog guarding what was left. Sobs and crying everywhere and not just from those who lived there but from those who came to help and were overwhelmed with the carnage they saw.

Read the full article at brainerddispatch.com.

Related at Fridley Patch:

• May 22 Marks Anniversary of 2011 Tornado That Struck Fridley