Picking up Pilger

It’s hard to wrap our head around the destruction a tornado can cause.

There’s not much left of Pilger, Nebraska — “The Little Town Too Tough to Die” — where the twin tornadoes struck yesterday.

This picture, for example, depicts what’s left.

Main Street in Pilgner is completely destroyed. Already residents say they will rebuild. @action3news #Pilger pic.twitter.com/jdzDuDccVa

— Justin Pazera (@justinpazera) June 17, 2014

Thanks to Google’s street view, we can compare the spot to what it looked like before — apparently, a town that had seen its better days and was losing its fight with time.

Unfortunately, included in that block is the town’s volunteer fire department.

The town’s bank…

This…

… became this:

We’ve seen this heartbreaking scene so many times before. An elderly woman, clutching what’s left — usually pictures. Based on other storms and scenes like this, it’s not out of the question that pictures and papers from Pilger ended up somewhere in Minnesota.