ALLEN — North Lyon County was hit hard during Monday’s storms with widespread damage across towns and rural agriculture areas.
Rick Frevert, Lyon County Emergency Management, said this morning that damage from the storm ran along U.S. Highway 56 and ran from the Morris to Osage county lines. Frevert said widespread damage occurred in Bushong, Allen and Admire.
“Those towns have a lot of tree damage,” Frevert said.
There also is damage to outbuildings, trees on cars and crop damage. A communication system in the area also sustained damage. Frevert said a deputy in the area estimated winds to be around 90 mph.
“There was a strip through there that it really, really worked us over,” Frevert said.
Block after block in Allen was covered in downed tree limbs and snapped trees and other debris is scattered throughout town. A school bus parked in front of a house was surrounded by limbs. The sound of chainsaws could be heard as residents immediately started to clean up the debris.
Sandra Buckbee was picking up after the storm that damaged her new home in Allen and trees in her yard. Buckbee said she was headed out of town with her family when the storm started rolling in. They decided to turn back and head home. They pulled into the garage and were stranded there until the storm passed. The door out of the garage wouldn’t open with the high winds.
When the storm passed, the family was able to assess the damages to their new home. Skirting was blown off of the bottom of the house and the vinyl siding had holes in it.
“This is my first new home,” Buckbee said, as she shook her head at the damage.
Limbs from a medium-sized tree had blown across the yard.
“That was a pretty tree but it is no longer,” Buckbee said.
Northern Heights High School sustained damage to a large shed that houses maintenance equipment. The shed was rated to be able to sustain 100 mph winds. The roof was blown off and pieces were scattered to the football field and track to the east. A flag pole was blown down at the school as well as the school zone poles on the highway to the south.
“It sounded like the whole place was blowing down,” said Joe Mork, head custodian of the school. “It was almost like a tornado but it was just straight-lined.”
A secretary at the school had moved her car into the barn for safety. Part of the barn’s roof lay on the car. Mork shook his head as he looked at it.
Mork said water blew into the school building and onto the floors.
Storm damage in Admire was significant, Mayor Richard Gould said this morning.
ALLEN — North Lyon County was hit hard during Monday’s storms with widespread damage across towns and rural agriculture areas.
Rick Frevert, Lyon County Emergency Management, said this morning that damage from the storm ran along U.S. Highway 56 and ran from the Morris to Osage county lines. Frevert said widespread damage occurred in Bushong, Allen and Admire.
“Those towns have a lot of tree damage,” Frevert said.
There also is damage to outbuildings, trees on cars and crop damage. A communication system in the area also sustained damage. Frevert said a deputy in the area estimated winds to be around 90 mph.
“There was a strip through there that it really, really worked us over,” Frevert said.
Block after block in Allen was covered in downed tree limbs and snapped trees and other debris is scattered throughout town. A school bus parked in front of a house was surrounded by limbs. The sound of chainsaws could be heard as residents immediately started to clean up the debris.
Sandra Buckbee was picking up after the storm that damaged her new home in Allen and trees in her yard. Buckbee said she was headed out of town with her family when the storm started rolling in. They decided to turn back and head home. They pulled into the garage and were stranded there until the storm passed. The door out of the garage wouldn’t open with the high winds.
When the storm passed, the family was able to assess the damages to their new home. Skirting was blown off of the bottom of the house and the vinyl siding had holes in it.
“This is my first new home,” Buckbee said, as she shook her head at the damage.
Limbs from a medium-sized tree had blown across the yard.
“That was a pretty tree but it is no longer,” Buckbee said.
Northern Heights High School sustained damage to a large shed that houses maintenance equipment. The shed was rated to be able to sustain 100 mph winds. The roof was blown off and pieces were scattered to the football field and track to the east. A flag pole was blown down at the school as well as the school zone poles on the highway to the south.
“It sounded like the whole place was blowing down,” said Joe Mork, head custodian of the school. “It was almost like a tornado but it was just straight-lined.”
A secretary at the school had moved her car into the barn for safety. Part of the barn’s roof lay on the car. Mork shook his head as he looked at it.
Mork said water blew into the school building and onto the floors.
Storm damage in Admire was significant, Mayor Richard Gould said this morning.
“We’re still crawling out from under this thing,” Gould said. “We’ve got a lot of damage here in town.”
The power in Admire was out until about 2 a.m., Gould said, and the winds took down numerous tree limbs and a light pole at the ball diamond. Residents this morning were going around with chain saws to help clear fallen limbs.
“If we didn’t get wind gusts of a hundred miles per hour when we were really getting pounded I’ll be surprised,” Gould said. “It blew over a lot of stuff you wouldn’t think would get blown over.”
There will be a lot of damage claims in the area, Gould said, and damage to city property was significant as well.
“Luckily no one was hurt,” Gould said, “that’s the main thing.”
Despite damages, Lyon County is not likely to make the cut for federal aid, Frevert said.
“I have not seen enough dollar amount yet to see if it will go over a big enough area,” he said.
Frevert said the damages have to be in the form of uninsured loss and the threshold for Lyon County is around $117,000 in uninsured damages. The statewide threshold is around $3.6 million. Frevert said the counties combined have to make up the $3.6 million in uninsured damages before a disaster declaration can be obtained.
“You’ve got stepping stones,” he said. “First the county has to meet its threshold, then the county numbers are all combined and once the state reaches it, the state can do a declaration. Several things have to happen and right now we are combining the information.”
“We’re still crawling out from under this thing,” Gould said. “We’ve got a lot of damage here in town.”
The power in Admire was out until about 2 a.m., Gould said, and the winds took down numerous tree limbs and a light pole at the ball diamond. Residents this morning were going around with chain saws to help clear fallen limbs.
“If we didn’t get wind gusts of a hundred miles per hour when we were really getting pounded I’ll be surprised,” Gould said. “It blew over a lot of stuff you wouldn’t think would get blown over.”
There will be a lot of damage claims in the area, Gould said, and damage to city property was significant as well.
“Luckily no one was hurt,” Gould said, “that’s the main thing.”
Despite damages, Lyon County is not likely to make the cut for federal aid, Frevert said.
“I have not seen enough dollar amount yet to see if it will go over a big enough area,” he said.
Frevert said the damages have to be in the form of uninsured loss and the threshold for Lyon County is around $117,000 in uninsured damages. The statewide threshold is around $3.6 million. Frevert said the counties combined have to make up the $3.6 million in uninsured damages before a disaster declaration can be obtained.
“You’ve got stepping stones,” he said. “First the county has to meet its threshold, then the county numbers are all combined and once the state reaches it, the state can do a declaration. Several things have to happen and right now we are combining the information.”