'Like ground zero:' Tornado takes down thousands of trees at campground, 'but everybody's alive'
FOND DU LAC COUNTY -- After four days of storm cleanup, following at least 16 confirmed tornadoes statewide; 11 of them in southeast Wisconsin, more storms are possible this Labor Day weekend. Eight of the confirmed tornadoes hit in Fond du Lac County -- and miraculously, there were no deaths or injuries. FOX6 found some who survived the terrifying experience, who showed us the extreme devastation left behind.
When you see what happened to the acreage in the Village of Cambellsport -- it's simply a miracle everyone survived.
Storm hits Mr Ed's Campground in Campbellsport, Fond du Lac County
Storm hits Mr Ed's Campground in Campbellsport, Fond du Lac County
One place you may not want to be when a tornado hits is where Bob Marcum and his wife were on Tuesday, Aug. 28.
"What I heard was more important than what I saw. They always say 'it's like a freight train.' I never heard it before, but you cannot miss it. You can't mistake it," said Marcum.
FOX6 found thousands of toppled trees surrounding Mr Ed's Campground near Cambellsport. About half of the RVs were damaged. Marcum, his wife and his dog jumped in the car and took off -- but where to go? They parked next to a building.
Storm hits Mr Ed's Campground in Campbellsport, Fond du Lac County
"All of the sudden, it apparently went over because the trees started going down," said Marcum.
"It's really a family-oriented campground," said Karen Patchett.
It's a campground community Patchett's family has owned for decades -- a peaceful place until this week.
"It looked like ground zero," said Patchett.
When Patchett surveyed the damage, she said she knew it will take a lot of money to repair. The Labor Day weekend is usually a big one for campers.
"They felt more empathy towards me. 'You've been here your whole life, and look at the campground' and I said, 'but everybody's alive.' That, I think, said it all," said Patchett.
Storm hits Mr Ed's Campground in Campbellsport, Fond du Lac County
As for Marcum, he waited until the storm passed and went back to check on things.
"There was no way to even walk up here, so we started crawling under and between the trees," said Marcum.
Storm hits Mr Ed's Campground in Campbellsport, Fond du Lac County
The destruction hasn't stopped campers from coming out.
"It's been one of those things when disasters happen and neighbors come together," said Marcum.
If the tornado would have hit this Labor Day weekend, the campsites would have been full. As it was, only a handful of campers escaped or were trapped until help arrived.