ONLY COME BACK, IT'S EVEN BIGGER
AND BETTER THAN BEFORE.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE EXACT SAME
SPOT WE WERE ONE YEAR AGO WHEN
THIS ALL HAPPENED.
THIS IS JUST OUTSIDE THE PUBLIC
PAVILION THAT VERMEER HAS, ALL
THE DAMAGE HAPPENED BEHIND ME
HERE.
AND WHEN WE DROVE UP, WE WERE IN
SHOCK AT WHAT WE SAW.
>> OH, MY GOD.
ARE YOU VIDEOING THIS?
>> YES.
>> JULY 19, 2018.
THIS IS THE TORNADO AS IT TEARS
THROUGH THE VERMEER CORPORATION
IN PELLA.
IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, IT SAWED
THROUGH SEVERAL BUILDINGS, ALONG
WHAT'S CALLED VERMEER MALL.
FROM THE AIR AND FROM THE
GROUND, THE DAMAGE IS
OVERWHELMING.
CARS PILED UP LIKE TOYS.
>> IT WAS SHOCKING.
SHOCKING TO ME TO SEE THE
DAMAGE.
>> JASON IS VERMEER'S C.E.O.
>> WHEN I CAME OUT OF THE
SHELTER AND DROVE ALONG THE BACK
OF THE MILE, I WILL NEVER FORGET
WHAT I SAW.
>> THEN IT REALLY GOT EMOTIONAL,
BECAUSE YOU SAW THAT THE PLACE
THAT YOU LOVED TO COME TO WORK
WAS PRACTICALLY DESTROYED.
>> JOEL NEEF HAS BEEN A VERMEER
MACHINING SPECIALIST FOR 17
YEARS.
HE HELPED BUILD SOME OF THE
INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT HERE.
HE AND HO -- HE AND HIS COWORKER
RUSHED INTO THE PLANT THAT
AFTERNOON.
THIS IS NORMALLY A LUNCHROOM BUT
THE DOORS HAVE THREE DEAD BOLTS
AND IT'S BUILT TO WITHSTAND AN
EF5 TORNADO.
>> YOU START THINKING ABOUT
FAMILY, FRIENDS.
ARE YOU GONNA MAKE IT OUT OF
HERE?
>> NEEF AND HUNDREDS OF OTHERS
DID MAKE IT OUT.
SEVEN WERE INJURED.
NO ONE WAS KILLED.
THAT NIGHT, AN EMOTIONAL MAN
PROMISED TO REBUILD HIS
71-YEAR-OLD FAMILY COMPANY.
UM...
>> UM...
SO, YEAH, WE CERTAINLY ARE GOING
TO REBUILD.
AND WE'RE GONNA COME BACK
STRONGER THAN EVER.
>> VERMEER IS BACK BUILDING
MACHINES LIKE THIS HORIZONTAL
DRILLER.
>> WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE
BUILDINGS RIGHT NOW IS AMAZING.
WE'RE DOING WITH PLANTS WHAT WE
USED TO DO -- WITH FIVE PLANTS
WHAT WE USED TO DO WITH SEVEN.
WE'RE GETTING IT DONE.
>> THE PROGRESS WE HAVE MADE IS
MIND-BLOWING.
>> HERE'S ANOTHER LOOK AT THE
DAMAGE FROM THE AIR, AND HERE'S
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW.
THE REMAINING FACTORY BUILDINGS
ARE WORKING AT FULL CAPACITY.
[APPLAUSE]
>> JUST LAST WEEK, THE COMPANY
BROKE DOWN FOR THREE NEW
MANUFACTURING AND DESIGN
BUILDINGS.
VERMEER PROMISES CUSTOMERS AND
EMPLOYEES THE TORNADO WILL NOT
STOP PROGRESS FOR THE
71-YEAR-OLD FAMILY COMPANY.
>> THIS IS THE GREATEST
CHALLENGE VERMEER HAS EVER
FACED.
AND YET I AM SO PROUD THAT WE
HAVE CLEARLY TURNED IT INTO AN
OPPORTUNITY.
>> AND VERMEER SAYS THAT THEY'RE
NEW MANUFACTURING PLANT,
CONSTRUCTION SHOULD START
SOMETIME IN SEPTEMBER.
IT SHOULD BE DONE AND THEY HOPE
TO HAVE ALL TRACES OF THIS
TORNADO WIPED OUT A YEAR FROM
THEN.
AND FROM OUR STORM CHASER, JASON
SYDEJKO, WHO WAS ACTUALLY
CHASING THE STORM AND ENDED UP
HERE SHORTLY AFTER THE TORNADO
HIT, AND WAS ABLE TO GET
PICTURES OF CARS THAT WERE PILED
ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
>> AND THAT LOOKS FAMILIAR,
CERTAINLY TO US.
THIS IS JASON SYDEJKO, OUR
METEOROLOGIST.
WE WERE HERE TOGETHER ON THAT
SPOT, ONE YEAR AGO TONIGHT.
I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS EVEN HERE.
IT WAS YOUR DAY OFF.
YOU WERE STORM CHASING THAT
NIGHT.
>> YEAH.
I'D JUST GOTTEN BACK FROM
VACATION.
I HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME
OFF.
I DECIDED, WHY NOT GO OUT
CHASING?
I HOPPED ON A STORM IN
BONDURANT.
I MADE MY WAY DOWN HERE AND GOT
THE CALL THAT VERMEER HAD TAKEN
A DIRECT HIT.
WHEN I GOT SENT OVER, I SHOULD
SAY, TO VERMEER AND ORIGINALLY
WENT AROUND TO THE BACK SIDE OF
THE BUILDING AND SAW A LITTLE
BIT OF DAMAGE BUT I DIDN'T SEE A
LOT.
THERE WERE SOME EMERGENCY
VEHICLES.
IT WASN'T UNTIL I GOT AROUND THE
FRONT SIDE OF THE BUILDING WHEN
I SAW CARS STACKED ON TOP OF
EACH OTHER, METAL FROM THE
ROOFING LITERALLY WRAPPED AROUND
POWER LINE POLES AND SHOT OFF
INTO FIELDS.
AMAZING HOW MUCH OF IT YOU COULD
SEE.
THERE WAS THIS LINGERING SMELL
OF GAS IN THE AIR, WHICH I THINK
WAS INITIALLY THOUGHT TO BE A
GAS LEAK.
BUT IT WAS JUST GAS FROM THE
VEHICLES IN THE PARKING LOT THAT
WERE STACKED ON TOP OF EACH
OTHER.
ONE THING I WAS IMPRESSED WITH
WAS THE AMOUNT OF ON-SITE
ORGANIZATION IMMEDIATELY AFTER
THE TORNADO HAD GONE THROUGH.
THEY STARTED MOVING PEOPLE IN
SAFE AREAS, AFTER THEY CAME OUT
TO LOOK AT THEIR VEHICLES AND
THE DAMAGE AND WHATNOT.
THAT WAS A REALLY COOL THING TO
SEE.
AND, YEAH, I'M HAPPY THAT
EVERYBODY IS ACTUALLY SAFE AND
THAT THERE WEREN'T ANY
LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES OR
ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS THAT'S
DEFINITELY JUST A LOT TO TAKE
IN, YOU KNOW.
I'VE BEEN STORM CHASING FOR A
LOT OF YEARS.
AND SEEING THAT SCOPE OF DAMAGE
AND JUST SEEING REALLY THAT MUCH
OF IT IN ONE LOCATIO
