Salina Journal

CHAPMAN -- Except for the high beams of his truck's headlights, Chapman was "pitch black" when Brad Homman arrived, just 30 minutes after the tornado struck.

Related media:

• Video Archive: Assessing the damage • Video Archive: Lending a hand • Video Archive: Chapman cleans up • Video Archive: Volunteering to clean • Watch a slideshow of the June 11, 2008 Chapman tornado aftermath • View front pages of coverage by the Salina Journal

It was June 11, 2008, shortly before 11 p.m.

On his 11-mile drive from Abilene, the Dickinson County director of administration and emergency services was on the phone with his staff, getting updates.

"I kind of had in mind what to expect," Homman said.

What he witnessed, parked near the Casey's General Store on the outskirts of Chapman's downtown, was surreal.

"I'm seeing people walking out of the darkness. Some are in night clothes or partially clothed. Some are barefoot, carrying their pets," Homman said.

He has played that scene in his memory many times, as the residents of the town of 1,400 emerged in shock after surviving the EF3 tornado.

"It brings back thoughts of a horror movie, where people are just kind of stumbling out," Homman said. "I thought, 'Oh my God, we're going to have dozens of people hurt and killed.' "

But he was pleased to learn, over the next two days of working without a break, that his fears were not realized.

The tornado took one life, Crystal Bishop. There were a few serious injuries and many that Homman categorized as "walking wounded."

Physical wounds healed, and the town's comeback is not short of amazing, Homman said.

But for some, the emotional scars from that horrifying night still fester.

"Being on duty 24/7, driving up and down the streets and you see it. It gets kind of emotional," said Chapman Police Chief Mike Brown.

"The houses are gone. There are no trees, all because of one event that took less than a minute," he said. "Cops are supposed to be hard-core, but we're fragile on another side. We couldn't be with our families that night."

Brown was on Indian Hill on the west side of town -- with officer Denise Mataruso -- when the tornado roared through, flattening a big chunk of Chapman.

While they were trying to get off the hill, dodging down trees and other debris, Brown's family emerged from their basement. Their home was destroyed. Brown found his two daughters, but his wife, Mary Kay, had become separated from them. It was about two hours before they were reunited at the remains of their home.

"She kinda took off, looking for me. I didn't remember it at all," he said.

Remembering that night isn't easy.

"I get more emotional when I get to talking about this. It's kind of a post trauma stress thing," Brown said.

The fear remains

Today, any threat of severe weather fosters fear among some in Chapman.

Wanda Schlappy, who was in the basement with family when the tornado took her home, said her 2-year-old great-granddaughter was traumatized as they huddled that night. Since then, the toddler "freaks out" during storms or in response to loud noises, Wanda said.

When Dickinson County Emergency Management interrupted cable television programming last fall to test a warning system, "it made some people in Chapman upset," Homman said.

Weeks after the tornado, a video showing the tornado's destruction in Chapman, starting with sirens sounding, was played during a United Methodist Church service.

"For a few people, it was emotionally difficult. The sirens were powerful. It was rather haunting, but the video was good," said the Rev. Ken Trickle.

Overall, he added, "I think people emotionally and psychologically are handling it rather well."

Perhaps the most difficult day in the past year was April 26, the first time tornado sirens sounded in Chapman since June 11.

People flocked to Chapman's two public storm shelters. There were 50 or more at the new one in Shamrock Park that was built in November by volunteers working with the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" television show. Others went to the shelter at the Chapman Middle School, same as the night of the tornado.

"People were frantic about it, the whole town," said Bob Diehl, 67, a retired school custodian who helped open the school when the tornado hit.

People in Chapman took the warning seriously and took shelter, Trickle said, rather than weather watching.

There was funnel activity in the sky, Homman said, and the storm followed a path similar to the one on June 11, but this rotation was at 20,000 feet and didn't dip to the ground.

Chapman City Councilman Brik Woodworth was working at his civilian job on post at Fort Riley when his wife, Eileen, called from the basement, in tears.

"I got her calmed down and asked her what was going on. She said, 'The sirens are going off,' " said Brik, known in town as "Woodie."

His wife had just sent their son, Tyler, 17, to the convenience store for a soft drink.

"She had no idea we were under a watch," Woodie recalled. He walked outside and noticed the sky's "ominous color," but the thunder and lightning didn't appear to be over Chapman.

He called Eileen again, and Tyler was home. There were also a half-dozen neighbors in their basement. By then, the mood was considerably calmer, and the family's no-smoking house rules were momentarily quashed.

"I decided to hell with it. We were gonna smoke and drink some beer," Eileen said.

There was plenty of reason to celebrate, considering the Woodworths' experiences over the past several months.

"Stress-related" problems

In the 2008 tornado, their home was not destroyed, but badly damaged, requiring a new roof, garage, siding and foundation work, not to mention a long list a less expensive repairs.

"I sometimes wish my house was totaled. It probably would have been a quicker deal to take care of it. There's so much involved," Woodie said.

Since the tornado the couple have fired one insurance company and hired another; sought help from Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, who visited them in Chapman; fired one contractor and sued another (and won).

Then on Jan. 20, Woodie suffered a heart attack.

"It was partly stress related," he said. "I've seen a psychiatrist for stress management. I've tried every avenue of self-repair."

There was also the burden of helping lead the community through recovery, as a city council member. Woodworth has felt the woes of many.

"Some have given up. Some are still fighting. Others will take a break and start up again," he said.

He's not the only one in Chapman to have issues during the recovery, said the Rev. Trickle.

"The churches have been very open to the people. We know there's been stress and that it hasn't always been easy," he said.

Support group help

In the weeks following the tornado, a grief counselor formed a support group at St. Michael's Parish Center in Chapman. There were volunteer counselors in Chapman to help in the days following the tornado, Woodworth said, including a support group for teenagers.

Susan James, wife of Chapman police officer Tom James, attended support group meetings at the church.

"It helped to listen to other people's stories," she said.

Three of the five members of Chapman's police force, including James, lost their homes.

The Jameses rented an apartment in Junction City. They purchased another home in Chapman and moved back Nov. 14.

"It was only then that I was able to sleep at night," Susan said.

The April 26 tornado warning was a worry, she said, along with the high winds that were prevalent this past winter.

There are grateful feelings for surviving the ordeal, and for being able to find precious belongings, Susan James said. Also, there is gratitude for the volunteers who lent them a hand.

Life is fragile

But emotions surface when there is a reminder, such as driving by her former address.

"Many times I burst into tears," she said. "You never think you're going to be the one who gets hit. It reminds you of how fragile human life is, our whole existence."

Those feelings are normal, said Pat Murray, a clinical social worker and executive director of Salina-based Central Kansas Mental Health, which serves five counties, including Dickinson County.

Counselors have treated some tornado victims, she said.

Communicating your feelings is important, she said, but so is lending an ear.

"The steps beyond a trauma involve talking about it, reliving it in great detail," Murray said. "From the beginning, that is probably why people just hung out and talked, and now they think they ought to be beyond that, but they're not."

Certain events can trigger emotions, she said, and storm clouds and sirens are among those.

This could be difficult

On Thursday, the date of the one-year anniversary, could be difficult for some.

"Be aware, you may have sort of an anniversary reaction," Murray said.

There is help available, she said. Through a Sunflower Foundation grant, Central Kansas Mental Health is offering counseling. For information, call 1-800-794-8281.

With home repairs nearly complete, some of the Woodworths' angst has subsided. Their insurance coverage has been increased to include replacement costs, plus 25 percent.

"I refused to be beaten, and I refused to leave Chapman," Woodworth said.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.

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