Widow, 33, lost her husband, two children, and her mother in Iowa tornado

A woman who lost her husband, her mother, and two of her three children in a deadly tornado in Iowa earlier this month has opened up about the ‘roller coaster of emotion’ she has experienced in the past two weeks — and how her only surviving child is her ‘rock.’  

Kuri Bolger, 33, and her family from Blue Springs, Missouri were visiting her mother and stepfather in Winterset, Iowa, when a tornado touched down around 4:30 p.m. on March 5.

With winds recorded up to 136 mph, the tornado ripped up trees, overturned cars, and killed seven people, including most of Kuri’s family.

Now Kuri — who spent ten days in the hospital with a broken leg and pelvis — is remembering her husband, Michael, 37, daughter, Kinlee, five, son Owen, two, and mother, Melissa Bazley, 63. 

‘It’s a roller coaster of emotion. I think there’s going to be really hard days and days that it’s a little bit easier, but just remembering that you just have to keep going,’ she told Good Morning America.

‘It’s a roller coaster of emotion. I think there’s going to be really hard days and days that it’s a little bit easier, but just remembering that you just have to keep going,’ she said

The Blue Springs, Missouri family was visiting her mother and stepfather in Winterset, Iowa

The Bolgers were in town for a visit and has spent the previous day at an alpaca farm.

Hours before the tornado, Kuri and her mom had worked out together, posing for a photo in which they flexed their muscles.

After the tornado blew through, Kuri’s arm was trapped for hours, according to Facebook, before she was rescued and hospitalized.

Only she, her stepfather, one of her brothers, and her eight-year-old son Brysen survived. 

‘Thank God he made it through and everybody was able to save him because, at this point, he’s my rock,’ Kuri said of her son. 

While Brysen suffered a sprained foot, Kuri broke several bones and underwent multiple surgeries in the ten days she was hospitalized. 

She and her mom had just done a workout together hours earlier. The day before, they all went to an alpaca farm

After the tornado blew through, Kuri’s arm was trapped for hours, according to Facebook, before she was rescued and hospitalized

Kuri called her eight-year-old son Brysen (center), who also survived, her ‘rock’

Kuri described her husband, a pipe fitter whom she’d been with for 13 years, as her best friend who ‘did everything for everyone else’

She is now out and coping with the loss, saying she is grateful to have good memories and a lot of photos and videos.  

‘My mom would always have her phone out and I’m like, “Mom, put your phone down. We’re, just hanging out.” But now I have all those memories, things we can look back at, and I am so thankful for that,’ she said.

Kuri described her husband, a pipe fitter whom she’d been with for 13 years, as her best friend who ‘did everything for everyone else.’

On Facebook, she shared a loving tribute to him, writing: ‘You took care of our family better than anyone ever could. Take care of our babies and I promise to take care of B and take him on the best adventures. I will miss you until we are together again Mike.’

Her daughter, Kinlee, was a ‘sweet, kind soul’ who would ‘be friends with anybody and everybody.’ 

She said that her mother was a ‘free-spirit’ who loved her grandkids

Her daughter, Kinlee, was a ‘sweet, kind soul’ who would ‘be friends with anybody and everybody’

‘Take care of our babies and I promise to take care of B and take him on the best adventures,’ she wrote to her husband on Facebook

Her son Owen was fearless but also polite, her ‘favorite little wild boy’

Sharing a video of the little girl on Facebook, she wrote: ‘I wish I had just one more day with you to say goodbye. Kinlee June you were my favorite girl in the whole world.’

Her son Owen was fearless but also polite, her ‘favorite little wild boy.’

‘Take daddy, sissy, and mimi on the best adventures. I’ll miss you until we get to be together again. Kissies and huggies my little love,’ she wrote to him on Facebook. 

Finally, her mother was a ‘free-spirit’ who loved her grandkids. 

Kuri said the experience has reminded her of the importance of kindness, and she is grateful for the over-$554,000 in donations that have poured in on GoFundMe. 

‘I know everybody says life is short but you just never know. You never know. It just reminded me to be kind,’ she said.  

Kuri was hospitalized for ten days after the tornado and underwent multiple surgeries

 A friend posted updates on Facebook, showing some of her injuries

Kuri is pictured with Brysen, her stepfather, and one of her brothers, who all survived the tornado

Kuri said the experience has reminded her of the importance of kindness, and she is grateful for the over-$554,000 in donations that have poured in on GoFundMe

The tornado on March 5 was Iowa’s deadliest since May 2008, when one tornado destroyed nearly 300 homes and killed nine people in the northern Iowa city of Parkersburg. Another tornado a month later killed four boys at the Little Sioux Boy Scout ranch in Western Iowa.

Rodney Clark, 64, and Cecilia Lloyd, 72, both from Winterset, were also named among the victims killed in the March 5 tornado.  

Officials reported that a number of homes were damaged or destroyed, roads were blocked by downed lines, and tree branches were shredded by the strong winds. 

At one point, power outages affected more than 10,000 in the Des Moines area. About 800 customers remained without power the following evening.

Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini said there have been plenty of examples of deadly storms in March even though they are more common in April and May. 

Saturday’s storms were not nearly as unusual as the mid-December tornado outbreak that Iowa saw last year, he said.

The remains of a home is scattered among debris as cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday

People stand among debris as cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday

The tornado on March 5 was Iowa’s deadliest since May 2008, when one tornado destroyed nearly 300 homes and killed nine people in the northern Iowa city of Parkersburg 

‘The storms that produce these tornadoes — these supercell storms — they don’t care what the calendar says,’ Gensini said. 

‘It doesn´t have to say June. It doesn´t have to say May. They form whenever the ingredients are present. And they were certainly present yesterday.’

Scientists have said that extreme weather events and warmer temperatures are more likely to occur with human-caused climate change.

Gensini said Saturday’s storms likely caused more than $1 billion in damages over their entire track when the severe damage in Iowa is combined with wind damage as far away as Illinois.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County, which allows state resources to be used to assist with response and recovery efforts. Madison County Emergency Management Director Diogenes Ayala said 52 homes were damaged or destroyed across nearly 14 miles.