Tornado 1987
User Story
By Katherine Schwabenbauer
It was in 1987 when the tornado hit our city. I, along with many was in shock and disbelief over what had happened and I felt the need to help.
I was born in Edmonton in 1964 to immigrant parents from Austria. They came here in 1951; my brother was just about 2 and my sister and I were born here. My parents embraced the city as there were quite a few immigrants then and they seemed to bond together, and if you look around this whole city and Alberta are made up of immigrants. I have always been very proud to be an Edmontonian. For a few years I lived in Whitehorse but I came back here to seek my future.
I met my husband here, our 2 children are born here, and my husband and I own a small business here which we bought from his parents whom too are immigrants from Germany. The family business has been operating here in Edmonton for that last 43 years. We are a diverse city and accepting of all nations and celebrate them.
We are a giving and caring city and on 1 occasion I witnessed it up close. It was in 1987 when the tornado hit our city. I, along with many was in shock and disbelief over what had happened and I felt the need to help. My mom and I went down to the Emergency Services where there were truck loads of goods being donated by strangers, companies everyone , of everyday household items, furniture, clothing ,personal products, you name it . There were hundreds of people there making hampers with all this stuff for the people in need and that is what my mom and I did for the whole day. We were tired and excited at the same time to see how fast this city banded together to help others. I was so proud to be part of it and proud to be an Edmontonian then and always.
