TAOPI, Minn. – Hurricane-strength winds, perhaps a tornado, tore up the Mower County hamlets of Taopi and Adams, trapping a family of five inside one house. One person suffered a leg fracture when pinned under a cement wall. Ambulances took two people to an Austin hospital. Wind as ferocious as 87 mph ripped one house off its foundation and tore off other roofs. Grain bins were destroyed. So were farm houses. There had been warning sirens. Most people were in their basements. This was about 10;30 p.m. Highway 56 entering Taopi wasexpected to be closed overnight because of snapped power lines. Adding to the mayhem as dusk set in were cattle loose in the area The National Weather service dispatched an assessment team to determine whether the storm was tornado touchdown.
Villages profile
Tapoi and Adams are four miles apart. About 20 miles southeast of Austin and 40 miles south of Rochester. Adams population: 787. Tapoi: 58. Both are on State Highway 56, an artery that connects the Austin area and the Iowa border 45 miles to the southeast near Chester, Iowa. Adams is home of the Southland High School consolidated school district. The school has 130 students.