July 7th may not stand out in history books, but for the residents of Belcourt and Rolla, it's a day they'll never forget.

One year ago today, Tornados ripped through these communities, destroying numerous buildings and leaving several families homeless.

Dan Erdmann caught up with two of those families in Rolla following a true re-building year.

(Dan Erdmann, KX News) In a neighborhood that's typically bustling with activity, July 7th, 2008, seemed surprisingly quiet - a calm before the storm. Sheri Leas and her family were away from their northeast Rolla home, watching from a highway south of town as a tornado tore through the community. Once the clouds had passed, the Leases returned, to find their worst fears realized.

(Sheri Leas, Rolla Resident) "We got back to town and got a phone call saying that our house was a mess, and little did we know, it was pretty well gone."

(Dan Erdmann, KX News) As the Leases stood in the rubble that was once their home, they stared in awe at the destruction surrounding them.

(Sheri Leas, Rolla Resident) "Our house was basically completely destroyed. We have a four-plex over here that has been re-built, that was destroyed. The blue house and two houses back there sustained quite a lot of damage. This duplex has been re-built, and our neighbors over here, they had a new house moved in also."


(Dan Erdmann, KX News) Those neighbors were the Waldera family, who had also traveled south of town as the storm approached. After the tornado had passed, the family drove back through Rolla with a feeling of uneasiness hanging over them.

(Jill Waldera, Rolla Resident) "As we were coming back into town, we hit Airport Road, which is right here, and followed some police cars and we're like, "Oh, my!" And got a little closer to home, and it's like, "I think we got hit!"


(Dan Erdmann, KX News) The family's garage was almost completely gone, and the home itself had been lifted and moved several feet, making it a complete loss. The next several days and weeks involved a lot of work for the Walderas, Leases, and their neighbors, but thankfully, they had a lot of help.

(Sheri Leas, Rolla Resident) "It was unbelieveable, the amount of volunteers we had to clean up."


(Jill Waldera, Rolla Resident) "Words can't... there's no words to express how the community helped."


(Dan Erdmann, KX News) Both families moved into rental units for the next several months after making the same important decision.

(Jill Waldera, Rolla Resident) "We decided that we would rebuild."


(Sheri Leas, Rolla Resident) "We decided to rebuild and that process went surprisingly fast."


(Dan Erdmann, KX News) What wasn't surprising, is the fact many of their neighbors decided to do the same. The Leas family built a new home on their existing foundation, and were moved in by Thanksgiving. The Walderas also placed a new home on their same location, but weren't able to settle in until late spring. It's now been a year since the storm tore through this neighborhood, and although they may not have thought it possible a year ago, this area is inching closer to being back to normal.

(Sheri Leas, Rolla Resident) "It's kind of like a re-birth of the neighborhood. Now, the kids are back."


(Jill Waldera, Rolla Resident) "I think it's maybe because you don't choose to do it, you don't have a choice. You either do it or don't do it, and if you don't do it, you don't have a home."


(Dan Erdmann, KX News) They say home is where the heart is. And these families have shown their hearts belong in Rolla- where their lives were rebuilt and changed forever.

(Sheri Leas, Rolla Resident) "That day was just unbelieveable."


(Jill Waldera, Rolla Resident) "You kinda feel like you're powerless, you know. Don't mess with mother nature."


(Dan Erdmann, KX News) In Rolla, Dan Erdmann, KX News.

Some areas of Belcourt and Rolla are still working hard to rebuild after last years storm, but one positive note is that no lives were lost during the tornados. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list