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Weather and Climate News
Peter Cox

Retreat center north of Twin Cities faces lengthy cleanup after severe storms

A tree downed by severe storms rests on a truck
Severe storms downed hundreds of trees at the Pacem in Terris Hermitage Retreat Center in Isanti County, north of St. Francis, last week, including this tree that damaged a truck on the grounds.
Courtesy of Pacem in Terris Hermitage Retreat Center

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A retreat center in Isanti County faces months of cleanup after last week’s severe storms damaged or downed hundreds of trees on the property.

The storms last week Monday struck quickly at Pacem in Terris Hermitage Retreat Center, leaving roads impassable, making the three miles of trails unwalkable and damaging several buildings.

“We had four guests here at the time, and it made evacuation of them on Tuesday morning very challenging, because there were so many trees down, we could not get an ATV even out to the hermitages. But they were all safe,” said Tim Drake, the executive director of Pacem in Terris.

While the guests were uninjured, the damage to the property north of St. Francis was extensive, Drake said.

“It took us a couple of hours to kind of clear some paths,” he said. “Our staff actually walked out there to grab our guests’ luggage and to kind of carefully walk them back to the vehicles ... cutting a path, going over trees, under trees, around trees. It was very challenging.”

Another round of severe storms on Thursday also swept through the area, producing a tornado to the east, near Bethel and Isanti.

Drake estimated more than 1,000 trees on the 240-acre Pacem in Terris property were damaged — some downed, others broken and twisted. He said 13 of the 25 buildings on the property were damaged.

Drake said they are open to volunteers coming to help with the cleanup of the property, and they are also taking donations to help with the cost of it. He said he expects it could take months to clean up the entire property.

The retreat center for years has been a place for guests to find solace.

“Guests come here to spend time in the silence and the solitude of a hermitage. Most guests are coming just to kind of get away from the noise and the activity of life, to spend time alone,” Drake said.

He said it was founded as a Catholic retreat center, but they are open to people of all faiths or no faith.

“The destruction that took place here is unprecedented in our 36-year history, and it is taking quite a toll on our staff as well as our guests, because it’s — I mean, there’s no way of getting around it, it’s a violence that has been done to this holy space,” he said.