Storm rocks Clear Lake

(Above) High winds caused plenty of damage around the Sea Wall area, including a large tree going down and damage to a dock.  An empty boat did not ride the storm out well, as it was thrown into the sea wall countless times during the storm.  -Reporter photos by Chris Barragy

There are not many residents in Clear Lake that were not affected by the storm on Monday, May 28.  From those in the country, to those living in town and along the lake, Monday’s storm wrecked havoc on trees, property, boats and docks.  Downed power lines also caused many residents to be without power for hours.

The Clear Lake Police Department dispatched over 43 calls for service from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.  This included calls for police officers, the Clear Lake and Ventura Fire Departments, Public Works, City Hall, the Clear Lake Water Department, Alliant Energy, the DNR and several other agencies.

The sudden storm produced winds recorded at 33 miles per hour with gusts up to 64 mph.  The temperature dropped from 97 degrees to 67 degrees.  Alliant reported that approximately 9,000 to 10,000 people were without power in the North Iowa area Monday night.  Dozens of crews from across the state have been working around the clock to restore the power.  Eighty percent of the town was restored by Tuesday afternoon.  Individual outings were hoping to be restored by Wednesday morning.

“We have replaced dozens of broken power poles in the area,” said Justin Foss, from Alliant.  “I was talking to our area engineer and he said he has not seen anything like this in the 10 years he’s been here.”

“We would like to thank all the emergency and public works crews that were out helping, as well as the Alliant crews” said Clear Lake Police Captain Mike Colby.  “We would like to remind the public to seek shelter and to stay away from windows and doors and to also remind people that even sturdy trees are at risk of coming down in high winds.”

Captain Colby also urged the public to keep an eye on the sky and to be aware of what the weather is doing.

“We know it was the holiday weekend and people were enjoying the lake, but please get off the lake when bad weather is threatening.  We had boaters stranded on the lake.  Not only is it dangerous for them, but it also puts those who have to rescue them in jeopardy.”

Captain Colby thanked the public for their patience and assistance as the City works to get debris cleared and electricity restored.

Many individuals have unique stories to tell about their adventures during the storm.

Brent Scarrow, who owns an acreage seven

[wlm_ismember]

miles south of Clear Lake, was not only dealing with the high winds, hail and rain, but he was also dealing with fire.  Scarrow had been burning prior to the storm.  When the winds picked up, it stirred the fire and caused it to reignite.  The fire spread to a large log pile he had nearby.  Corn stubble blew through the fire and ignited.  The flying embers ignited small fires around the farm and were blowing toward the house.

“The fire was close to the fuel barrels, so I had a hose and sprinkler on them to keep them from getting hot,” said Scarrow.  “I also used an excavator to dig holes and covered the larger fires with dirt.  I almost lost a whole evergreen grove.  Thankfully, I was home and able to deal with it and keep an eye on everything.”

Scarrow also had some minor structural damage to some outside buildings that will need to be addressed.

Martha Wolf, who lives on North Shore Dr., had a large tree fall east of her home and block the road.  She also witnessed a tree that had fallen on a car and her grill blew off her deck.

“The power was off for a while, but they had it back on in a timely fashion, considering the circumstances,” Wolf said.  “I drove around later and noticed the damage seemed to be really spotty.  Very much like straight-line winds.”

Wayne Oberbroeckling, who was doing some field work for an area farmer, was caught in the storm trying to get home in a tractor.

“I got out of the field pretty quick, because I knew I didn’t want to get stuck in the mud there.  The drive back was pretty scary.  I had to slow down, because I thought the hail was going to break the windshield, it was hitting so hard.  I was also dodging tree limbs in the road,” said Oberbroeckling.  “This is the worst storm I’ve seen in my 73 years, and that’s saying a lot.”

LuAnn Hejlik, owner of the Muskie Lounge, in Ventura, said the restaurant was full of customers when the storm hit.  She said they all watched the storm roll across the lake right at them.

“We had to lock the doors, because the wind was sucking them open.  Rain got inside around the windows and most of the shingles on the roof are gone and in the road.  All of the patio furniture was in the road after the storm,” said Hejlik.

Hejlik also reported that two boat lifts in the area were on land and one of them was wrapped around a pole, while the other ended up upside down in the pond to the north of the Muskie.  She also reported that one section of dock was damaged and numerous hoist covers and canopies.  A large tree was also uprooted and blocked the road between the Muskie and Dome Bait and Tackle.

“We are very thankful for the customers who helped us clean up a bit after the storm,” said Hejlik.

[/wlm_ismember]