2008 Woodie Awards
Midwest pummeled by tornadoes
Four Boy Scouts dead, many injured in Little Sioux, Iowa
Jillian Whitney
Issue date: 6/17/08 Section: News
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The four boys were identified as Josh Fennen, 13; Sam Thomsen, 13; and Ben Petrzilka, 14, all of Omaha, along with Aaron Eilerts, 14, of Eagle Grove, Iowa.
More than 90 campers and 25 adults were attending a leadership camp at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch when the tornado struck.
According to the Omaha World-Herald, the Boy Scouts were split into two groups. One group took shelter before the tornado sirens went off; the other group was out on a hike. The four boys were killed by a stone chimney the tornado knocked in.
In an interview with the World-Herald, Boy Scout Ethan Hession described his experience surviving the tornado.
As he crouched in a corner of the cabin, he heard a thunderous roar. Glass and debris began to fall all around him and he was struck in the head. Just as soon as it started, it was over, Hession said.
Hession said he stood up and began helping fellow scouts free the injured from the rubble.
By the time the storm passed, the Little Sioux Scout Ranch was in shambles. All around the camp, trees were torn out of the ground, buildings had been destroyed and debris littered the ground.
Iowa Governor Chet Culver praised the Boy Scouts that jumped into action moments after the tornado passed as "heroes and lifesavers."
All scouts and scout leaders have been accounted for.
University Village resident Amy Sokoll, a sophomore elementary education major, was at church when the storm first hit western Omaha.
Sokoll was at the Westside Community Conference Center near 108th Street and West Center Road. When a tornado warning was issued for the area, everyone was moved into a locker room, but Sokoll said she eventually went outside to have a look.
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