Chris Green Staff writer @chrisfgreen

STILLMAN VALLEY Tornado, straight-line winds, microburst.

Toby Behmer, 35,doesn't know how meteorologists will classify the fast-moving wind and rain-pounding storm that leveled buildings, uprooted trees and brought down a string of electrical linesSaturday afternoon in northern Ogle County. He just knows thestormwas frightening and the damage leftin its wake wasdevastating.

"We had three buildings significantly damaged and one ripped off the foundation," he said of the farm structures.

Sunday, more than 100 friends, neighbors and family members stopped by throughout the day to operate several pieces of earthmoving equipment on the North StillmanRoad corn and soybean farm. Theyused the tractorsto pick up and pilelarge pieces of twisted metalsiding,roofing and installation.

Behmer, afifth-generation farmer,was at a lost forhow to go about finishing what Mother Nature started demolishinga heavily damaged140- by 80-foot machine shedwithout damaging the machineryinside of it.

"I don't know where to start," he said. "We have claims going with insurance. The federal crop insurance should kick in. ... Other than that, I guess we'll find out more tomorrow."

Pointing to what used to be a greenhouse, Behmer saidabout 250 tomatoand200 pepper plantshad beengrowing there sinceMarch."They were really close to having produce on them," he said. "That's all leveled now."

Like in most farming communities, thestorm's worstbrought out the bestin Behmer'sfamily, friends and neighbors.

"I put on Facebook this morning that I was extremely proud to live in Stillman Valley," he said. "This is really heartwarming. I get pretty emotional about things like this. When you get outpouring of support like this you never want to leave. You want to be around people like this for the rest of your life. It's awesome."

National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Ratzer said weather officials have been in contact with area storm chasers and do not believe Saturday's storm was a tornado.

"We're pretty sure it was straight-linewinds or a microburst," he said. "The core of the stormcollapsed, andwe're not aware of any wind rotation."

Chris Green:815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

Read more:
A storm's worst brings out the best in Stillman Valley residents - Rockford Register Star

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