Regrouping after mighty wind in Windsor

WINDSOR — Eight days after a powerful tornado chewed its way through Northern Colorado, a salvage crew was wheeling caskets out of the ruins of Mark’s Funeral and Cremation Service, a Windsor business that was near the storm’s center.

The Denver-based restoration company’s workers also hauled mud-splattered pews from what was once the funeral home’s chapel to a dumpster the size of a shipping container in the parking lot.

“I’m still missing three caskets,” funeral director Mark Long said. “I’d like to know where they are. I’ve driven around looking for them, but they’re just gone.”

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This was a scene that was replicated throughout the eastern edge of Windsor, where dozens of commercial buildings in addition to more than 150 homes were shredded during the May 22 storm. But more than a week after the tornado, no one could say with any certainty how many businesses were damaged or destroyed, nor could a tally of the costs be made.

“We’re still trying to get our arms around it,´ said Pete Hyland, president of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce board. “We don’t know exactly how many businesses have been affected.”

Making connections with business owners who lost all in the storm was a challenge in itself. Power was disrupted for days, or in some cases as much as a week. Phone service was often cut off.

“We’ve got people who are working from their homes, trying to get back up and running,” Hyland said. “Everybody is trying to figure out where to go from here. The bigger story is going to be two or three weeks from now, when we realize how much was lost.”

The worst damage was concentrated in the industrial and office zone that spreads across the northeast quadrant of Eastman Park Drive and Colorado Highway 257. The stories told by business owners and their employees who rode out the midday storm illustrate its awesome power. They also flesh out a picture of a business community that banded together to begin the recovery process.

Paul Revere’s ride

Marc Dykstra, president of EnviroPest Services Co., described how one of his employees, Kevin Hines, became the Paul Revere who delivered the storm warning with less than two minutes to spare.

“He was on 10th Street in Greeley, and saw the tornado as it approached the State Farm buildings,” Dykstra said. “He sped down 257 and got here just ahead of it. We had 90 seconds before the tornado was right on top of us.”

Dykstra and several employees sprinted toward the former Carousel Restaurant, and dove into the basement just as the storm arrived.

“When that thing went over us, it happened so fast,” Dykstra said. “It was surreal. You just couldn’t get your head around it.”

A business decision that Dykstra made last fall enabled EnviroPest to function normally within four days after the storm destroyed the company’s office-warehouse building. In October, all of EnviroPest’s service applications — including customer records and accounting programs — were transferred to an Internet-based service. Phone service, likewise, had been switched to an Internet-based voice over IP system. Once the company secured a lease on space in Loveland after the storm, it was business as usual.

“It was a big decision last fall, because it was a big expense,” Dykstra said. “But because of that, we haven’t missed a lick. That Thursday afternoon, we lost some business. But if I had to put a number on it, I’d stay it was about $5,000.”

Fortunately, most of EnviroPest’s service technicians and their vehicles were on service calls elsewhere in the region when the tornado hit. The company’s vendors and business partners also pitched in to make the re-entry easier.

“Our vendors have really stepped up for us,” Dykstra said. “Dellenbach Motors let us take a truck. Bank of Choice stepped up by giving us a scanner for remote deposits. All our vendors were saying, ‘Take care of business and worry about us later.’ Even competitors were calling asking what they could do.”

Technology park hit

Just east of where Dykstra’s and Long’s businesses were destroyed, the newer Diamond Valley Technology Park got a lashing of a lesser magnitude.

Nonetheless, the building that houses Ice Energy Inc. lost enough of its roof to open offices and manufacturing space to water damage.

“We were fortunate in that we were in the eastern edge of the tornado,´ said Gary Kaiser, Ice Energy’s vice president of marketing. “We lost a couple of days of our productivity, and few days of manufacturing. There are lots of people, including ourselves, that are driving some pretty banged-up cars. But this could have been worse. It could have been more intense, and there could have been more loss of life.”

Windsor’s top two employers, Kodak Colorado Division and Carestream Health, were also damaged when the tornado clipped the southwest corner of the campus they share.

A wastewater treatment plant serving the complex was heavily damaged, roofing was torn loose and windows blown out. But neither company’s buildings suffered major structural damage.

“We know what was damaged, but we don’t have a dollar figure,” Carestream spokeswoman Lucille Mantelli said. “The damage includes blown-in dock doors, roof damage and overturned railroad cars, but structurally our buildings are sound.”

Rob Gray, Kodak Colorado Division’s site manager, said damage at the company’s utility systems was the most serious problem initially, but that quick repairs restored service.

“It went right over our waste treatment plant,” he said. “There were a bunch of 8-inch-by-30-foot steel pipes there, and it picked them up like toothpicks. It’s just amazing, the power of that.”

Kodak is preparing to absorb two businesses, Harmony Hand Physical Therapy and the General Care Clinic, that were devastated by the storm’s force.

“We’re going to work with them to find a location on our campus,´ said Kodak site development manager Vicky Wagner. The twin clinics provide employment screening and other services for Kodak, Carestream and nearby Vestas Wind Systems. “It makes sense for them to be here,” Wagner said. “Having them close to the industrial park is great.”

Signature stands strong

One of Windsor’s newest commercial structures, the two-story Signature Bank building at the southwest corner of Eastman Park Drive and Highway 257, escaped serious damage even though it was directly in the tornado’s path.

“By Saturday, we had lots of building inspectors and engineers coming into our building to take a look,´ said Ken Lind, a partner in the Lind, Lawrence & Ottenhoff law firm that occupies the building’s entire second floor. “They’re all coming back shaking their heads. They said they couldn’t believe how well this stood up.”

While the building stood strong, the cars in the parking lot did not. Of 22 cars owned by members of Lind’s firm, 19 were declared total losses.

In the commercial center that bore the brunt, the talk is about rebuilding, but also about relocating. Dykstra said his Loveland move will become permanent, but Long said he will begin construction on his business before the end of June.

“We’re still in business,´ said Long, who said he is relying on the support of competitors to soldier on. “We are still meeting with families. I’ve got two funerals this week, and I’ve got other funeral homes backing me.”

Hyland said his conversations with other chamber members had shown him the sensitivity that business owners have for one another.

“I’ve never been through anything like this, but it’s a great revealer of character,” Hyland said, describing an encounter with the owner of a sign company to make his point.

“The guy was saying, ‘Oh, this is terrible. I can’t profit from this,'” he said. “I told him, ‘Hey, you didn’t do this. You didn’t cause this. I’m buying a new sign from somebody, it might as well be you.'”