Cyril Louis Nieland Loses Home in Storm

The Breda News, Breda, Iowa, May 4, 2011

Former Breda Area Resident Loses Home in Tornado

Cyril “Cy” Nieland, 84, who lives five miles south of Newell on M54, found himself trapped in his basement where he fled Satur¬day night, April 9, when tornados touched down in western Iowa.

As he tried to escape from his basement, he encountered a lot of debris. He said that there was a rail on his steps, and he just held on to that as his feet could not feel the floor. As he tried to move his feet back and forth pushing debris away until he did feel the floor and then he was almost to the top of the steps when someone yelled at him from above.

It was two storm chasers from Mankato, who just happened to be following the tornadoes in a car with some video equipment.

They helped him out of his house and into a car and drove them to his son Jerry's home. Jerry lives not far away.

According to family, the only room spared in the home was his late wife's Barbara's [Barbara Ruth Ries 1929 - 2009] room. She was an avid quilter and some of her quilts were spared, but some were damaged by imbedded glass beyond repair.

Cy has since moved into a new home in Storm Lake.

 

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