Keep These Scouters And Families In Your Prayers
I have never been so proud to be affilitated with Scouting as I am today listening to these young men talking of acts of HEROISM that were performed in the face of devastation before, during, and after the tornado! One scout said "if this had to happen anywhere it is a good thing that it happened at Scout camp because we were prepared and we knew what to do!" WOW!!!! This is why we (you) should take your emergency preparedness, first aid, and leadership training seriously! Their preparedness in all three saved countless lives! I am proud of them.... they embody what Scouting is all about....
Pray for the families and troop members of the four young men who died in that twister last night. They are as follows:
Josh Fennen, 13, Sam Thomsen, 13 and Ben Petrzilka, 14, all of Omaha, Nebraska; and Aaron Eilerts, 14, of Eagle Grove, Iowa, who was a Scout and camp staff member. See future posts for more information on ways we can help from the Mid America Council.....
BLENCOE, Iowa - Four Boy Scouts were killed when a tornado tore through a camp in the remote hills of western Iowa, Gov. Chet Culver told TODAY on Thursday.
The twister late Wednesday set off a frantic search to reach others in the piles of debris and downed trees. Culver described the scene at the camp as "horrific."
"All four of the young men who were killed were Scouts," he said. "The devastation was massive through the campgrounds."
Three of the victims -- Josh Fennen, 13; Sam Thomsen, 13; and Ben Petrzilka, 14 -- were from Omaha. Officials said the fourth victim was Aaron Eilerts, 14, of Eagle Grove, Iowa.
Culver paid tribute to the Scouts who came to the aid of their injured colleagues, describing them as "the real heroes of this story".
"I'm very proud of the young men who were up there who were able to help the Scouts in need," he told TODAY. "I think lives were saved."
Tornadoes also raked Kansas on Wednesday, killing at least two people, destroying much of the small town of Chapman and causing extensive damage on the Kansas State University campus.
Tornado siren Lloyd Roitstein, an executive with the Mid America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said a tornado siren went off at the camp, but the scouts had already taken cover before the siren sounded.
The boys had been in two groups when the storm hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in the remote Loess Hills. One group managed to take shelter, while the other was out hiking.
At least 42 of the injured remained hospitalized Thursday morning, with everything from cuts and bruises to major head trauma, said Gene Meyer, Iowa's public safety commissioner. At least four of the injured were airlifted from the camp, he said, refusing to elaborate on their conditions or identify the dead.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of the victims," Culver said. "We continue to do everything we can to make sure those injured are going to recover."
All the scouts and staff were accounted for, Meyer said, adding that searchers were making another pass through the grounds to make sure no one else was injured. The camp was destroyed.
Thomas White, a scout supervisor, said he dug through the wreckage of a collapsed fireplace to reach victims in a building where many scouts were seeking shelter when the twister struck at 6:35 p.m.
"A bunch of us got together and started undoing the rubble from the fireplace and stuff and waiting for the first responders," White told KMTV in Omaha, Neb. "They were under the tables and stuff and on their knees, but they had no chance."
The nearest tornado siren, in nearby Blencoe, sounded only briefly after the storm cut power to the town, said Russ Lawrenson of the Mondamin Fire Department.
The twister late Wednesday set off a frantic search to reach others in the piles of debris and downed trees. Culver described the scene at the camp as "horrific."
"All four of the young men who were killed were Scouts," he said. "The devastation was massive through the campgrounds."
Three of the victims -- Josh Fennen, 13; Sam Thomsen, 13; and Ben Petrzilka, 14 -- were from Omaha. Officials said the fourth victim was Aaron Eilerts, 14, of Eagle Grove, Iowa.
Culver paid tribute to the Scouts who came to the aid of their injured colleagues, describing them as "the real heroes of this story".
"I'm very proud of the young men who were up there who were able to help the Scouts in need," he told TODAY. "I think lives were saved."
Tornadoes also raked Kansas on Wednesday, killing at least two people, destroying much of the small town of Chapman and causing extensive damage on the Kansas State University campus.
Tornado siren Lloyd Roitstein, an executive with the Mid America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said a tornado siren went off at the camp, but the scouts had already taken cover before the siren sounded.
The boys had been in two groups when the storm hit the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in the remote Loess Hills. One group managed to take shelter, while the other was out hiking.
At least 42 of the injured remained hospitalized Thursday morning, with everything from cuts and bruises to major head trauma, said Gene Meyer, Iowa's public safety commissioner. At least four of the injured were airlifted from the camp, he said, refusing to elaborate on their conditions or identify the dead.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of the victims," Culver said. "We continue to do everything we can to make sure those injured are going to recover."
All the scouts and staff were accounted for, Meyer said, adding that searchers were making another pass through the grounds to make sure no one else was injured. The camp was destroyed.
Thomas White, a scout supervisor, said he dug through the wreckage of a collapsed fireplace to reach victims in a building where many scouts were seeking shelter when the twister struck at 6:35 p.m.
"A bunch of us got together and started undoing the rubble from the fireplace and stuff and waiting for the first responders," White told KMTV in Omaha, Neb. "They were under the tables and stuff and on their knees, but they had no chance."
The nearest tornado siren, in nearby Blencoe, sounded only briefly after the storm cut power to the town, said Russ Lawrenson of the Mondamin Fire Department.
posted by Auntie Tracye at 7:16 AM
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