Jo Kluver is one of the many residents forever impacted by the May 30 tornado. She is a wife, a mom, and, when the storm hit, the clerk of the city of Forada. She is a tireless advocate for herself and others working through a long recovery process. She agreed to share her story with the Long Term Recovery Group in hopes it will help others in the healing process.
The Storm
Kluver describes Memorial Day, 2022. She said trouble started early that morning with a relentless hailstorm. It caused damage to her family’s house, which is a block east of Maple Lake, so she called in an insurance claim. Then, around 4:30 she watched as the weather turned bad again. This time it was the tornado. She was home with her two adult children, “Our basement is a full walkout, so we took shelter in the downstairs bathroom. We could hear the sirens going off three times and I knew it wasn’t going to be good. My husband Steve is a firefighter and was out storm spotting. One thing I remember clearly is the toilet water was going crazy initially, like someone was plunging it. Then I heard glass breaking and loud noise of damage and wind. My son said he heard what sounded like the roof and I said, yep, that’s not good. My son laid on the bathroom floor and put his feet against the door. He later told me that he saw the door trying to push in. My daughter and I both felt like we got very light, like we were being lifted for a few seconds.”
The tornado passed over her neighborhood and she said, “A short time later we heard a knock on our garage door. It was the fire department and a deputy from the Douglas County sheriff’s office checking to see if we were hurt. We went upstairs and the first thing I noticed was nothing had moved inside, not a pillow or blanket or a knickknack. But on the steps going up from the downstairs, there was a displaced railing spindle and the metal piece off a door. Then I looked up to see major cracking in the sheet rock and broken windows. We went outside and I was in shock at all the damage around us. Trees and debris everywhere, metal arbor and our pergola from the upstairs deck was ripped out and twisted into pieces. The tornado actually moved our vehicles, and the swing set was now skewered into my car. We walked around our house and saw puncture holes and tears in our siding, almost all the windows were broken or damaged and a third of our roof was torn off.”
Then she turned her attention to her neighbors. “When I saw my neighbors’ houses, I was emotionally destroyed. My first thought was to make sure they were physically okay, especially since I know they have little kids. My husband Steve texted me right after he and fellow firefighter Jeremy Gordhamer spotted the tornado and called into 911 dispatch. I told him the house had been hit and was badly damaged, but we were okay. We would soon learn just how much damage there actually was. But my initial concern and relief was that everyone in Forada was physically okay. That is a miracle in itself.”
It didn’t take long for more goodness to come to Kluver and her neighbors. She shared, “The Red Cross, Salvation Army, emergency responders, tons of restaurants and businesses quickly showed up with food and large equipment to move and haul trees and debris, along with so many amazing volunteers. Workers at so many companies from a car dealership to landscaping, excavating, and farmers showed up to help! They weren't just from Alexandria they came from surrounding towns too. They all took time away from their jobs and deadlines to come and help those in need. The tree and brush cleanup was massive and without all these wonderful people showing up the day after the storm, it's unimaginable to know how long it would have taken each resident, city, and township to get through it all.
But with the goodness, came struggles. Kluver’s initial interaction with her insurance company didn’t go smoothly. Thankfully, her experience as a construction manager, and her persistence to find answers paid off. Her knowledge will help others going through storm recovery.
The Recovery
Kluver says she requested a structural engineer right away and per that engineer’s recommendation she and her husband took the house down to the studs. “We found the roof had lifted which in turn lifted the interior walls with it and the house pressurized,” she said. “Long story short, we had to refasten the entire house. The top plates were lifted from the studs, the base plate was lifted from the subfloor/floor trusses. Our two contractors gave great recommendations on the best way to fix the structural damage and make sure it was done correctly and to code.”
The structural engineer her insurance company hired was amazing, Kluver said. “Her thorough inspection and report are what got us where we needed to be to move forward with insurance and the repair and rebuild of our house. We also were blessed with a new team of adjusters. We had a second adjuster come out to inspect the house once we had the walls opened up and damage was visible. The structural/living adjuster and personal property adjuster that we were finally assigned to have been fantastic to work with. Even our insurance agent has been supportive of us and our situation – going above and beyond to make sure we are dealt with fairly and per what is in our policy.”
Speaking of insurance policies, Kluver said to be very aware of what is covered in the insurance policy: structure, personal property, and living expenses. At the current market of building materials and contractors, most homeowners are underinsured if they have a 100 percent loss. “Make sure you have recovered cost and not actual cost, she said. “Recovered cost means it has to be replaced/repaired at today’s expense. Actual cost means they depreciate everything, and you get the repairs/personal property at the actual cost, which means they withhold and keep the depreciation.”
When it comes to the people doing the actual construction, Kluver advised, “Talk to the contractor and subcontractors to get a true idea of what needs repairing/rebuilding. Make sure they are qualified, licensed and have references. Submit the contractors/subcontractors estimates to the insurance company and make sure you leave a note that, if further damage is found, further submissions/invoices will be submitted. The adjuster only writes up what they see is damaged and that is what they write up for the adjustment. If you have sustained major damage, like many in Forada did, request an engineer from your insurance company. As I mentioned, we found nothing in our house had moved, but all our framing lifted and came unnailed when the roof lifted, and the house pressurized inside. The only evidence was the roof being ripped off, all the fractures in the sheetrock, and the baseboard/door trim no longer being flush or square.”
“We have found by talking to others, that every insurance company has been different. Many have responded better than others. Some of our residents haven’t even been able to move forward as they haven’t received an initial payment for their adjustment. This is 5 months in and just not right. Be a strong voice and fight for your rights. There are public adjusters that you can hire whose expertise is dealing with insurance and your claim from beginning to completion. They cost about 15 percent of your claim but rest assured, a good public adjuster will make sure your claim and repairs are completed correctly. We had a consult with one and their information was so helpful.”
“A reminder, Kluver said, is insurance is to put your house back to the way “IT WAS” not for extras or improvements. It is the owner’s responsibility to salvage what is not damaged. So, if your kitchen cabinets did not sustain damage – don’t expect them to be replaced. “
Two additional pieces of advice. Kluver said, make sure to check the insurance policy for living expenses. What does it cover? Will it include the cost of living in an apartment or house until the damaged/destroyed home is repaired or replaced? Will it cover utilities at a rental, extra mileage for driving from the rental, and for how long will this coverage continue.
And, she said to take pictures. “We took pictures of every room and wall in our entire house shortly after the tornado hit. I wanted this done to document personal property and visual damage. Open your cupboards, drawers, closets and take photos of everything you own. You will need to categorize and inventory it if it is a loss and needs replacing.”
Kluver worked through her recovery while fulfilling her duties as city of Forada clerk. Duties that included helping her community by sharing information on where to get donated supplies and food and when the city council was going to hold an emergency meeting to discuss how to move forward. She is one of hundreds of Douglas County residents who experienced damage or destruction to their homes and outbuildings during the two tornado and wind events in May 2022. A year that will be remembered always.
*Special thanks to Long Term Recovery Group member Leeann Jorgensen who is gathering storm stories from a wide variety of impacted residents. Look for more stories on this website and a special coping skills event to be held in Douglas County early next year.