The shock still exists just days after a tornado ripped through parts of the area -- stripping people of not only their possessions but their homes too.

While this natural disaster is taking a hit on the community of Merrill as whole, it may be having the biggest impact on the children.

That's why leaders at a school located just blocks from all of the devastation are doing what they can to help students cope.

"I think the first thing teachers were trying to do here at Kate Goodrich, was opening up the dialogue to give the students the chance to talk about their experiences, whether they were part of the hardest hit areas or just heard the sirens, had to go downstairs," says Trina Knospe, school counselor for Kate Goodrich Elementary School.

More than 300 students attend Kate Goodrich Elementary School in Merrill.

While most of them were lucky enough to live outside the areas with the most damage, others weren't so lucky.

"I've gathered those students together and gave them a separate area to explain what they were going through," says Knospe.

And while moving on isn't easy, she says the best thing parents can do is get their kids back into a routine.

Which is what Gregory and Mary-Lou Sommer did.

They have an 8 year old son, Jordan.

And their home is in the middle of all the destruction.

"We needed to get Jordan back right away, so he has a sense of normalcy," says Gregory.

School leaders say they'll continue to help students cope with this natural disaster in the coming days, weeks, and months as families pick up the pieces and move forward.