Brookville leaders remember Memorial Day tornadoes as anniversary approaches

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“With not having as many trees around, there’s wind all the time,” Brookville Mayor Chuck Letner said.

One Brookville neighborhood still has some visible damage, like barren trees.

“We still find shingles, drywall, just especially in the wintertime. When the leaves are off the trees, you still see the remnants,” Letner said.

Letner was in office for just a few weeks when an EF-4 tornado ripped through Brookville and other communities on May 27, 2019.

It destroyed everything in its path, including trees, homes, and even the Brookville High School roof.

Almost 4,000 properties across Montgomery County were damaged.

“After the devastation, we were up all night, just assessing the damage,” Letner said.

“The fact that there were no casualties was an absolute miracle. And I don’t know how else to describe it,” Brookville Police Chief Douglas Jerome said.

Surrounding police departments helped Brookville police keep an eye on damaged properties while maintaining everyone’s safety.

“We knew who was coming in and out. I think that helped a lot. We’d had a curfew we’d put into place, and just different things that we felt had to be done to make sure we protected our community,” Jerome said.

Emergency crews sorted through the debris to help the survivors, even while the storm was raging on.

“I was seeing the actual funnel cloud light up as the lightning would flash,” Brookville Fire Chief Ron Fletcher said.

That sight is why he tracks the weather closely.

“I have weather radar that feeds right into the vehicle that I’m assigned. That is one of my primary assignments, we’re paying attention to what the weather forecast is,” Fletcher said.

We will continue to follow this story.

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