The Lake Turned Upside Down: The Story of Unthinkable Tragedy and Incredible Survival in the 1969 Outing, Minnesota F4 Tornado

August 6, 1969 became the fifth deadliest day in Minnesota tornado history, killing a total of fifteen people state-wide. Eleven of fifteen deaths occurred on the east and west shores of Roosevelt Lake at 4:55 p.m. in the tiny town of Outing. There had been no warnings.

Dozens of cabins, resorts, and vacation homes sat in the path of the F4 tornado as it blew through the Outing area, affecting countless lives for decades to come. More unbelievable than the tragedy of those who died is the miracle that anyone survived at all.

The Lake Turned Upside Down is the most comprehensive account of the event to date, compiling news reports, pictures, movies, weather records, and over one hundred testimonies from survivors, first responders, and eyewitnesses. This moving book shares the stories that have been burned on the hearts of the families in Outing that day—their lives, their unbelievable survival, and even how seven of the tornado’s victims had been preparing for heaven just weeks beforehand.

The National Weather Service called it the Northwoods Tornado Outbreak. The author calls it a miracle that anyone lived as the cabin she was in with 17 occupants was blown into deep Roosevelt Lake. Sue Dugan Moline shares the drama and hope in a tragedy that has been tucked away until now. After a half-century, it is time to pass on the memories that refused to be silenced.