UPDATE 3:00 P.M.
People in Bemidji, Minnesota will be busy this 4th of July picking up after strong winds swept through town.
Lisa Rother of Bemidji says, "We were down there for maybe a half an hour and I felt the house shutter and I'm guessing that's when this tree hit the house."
After hiding in their cellar through 80 mile per house winds, Lisa and her family came out to find their yard ripped up.
Lisa says, "Pretty sad. I really liked these trees. I'm just shocked, especially when I came out and I saw that we weren't the only house that had trees down. This entire place just kind of looked like a war zone."
Streets are filled with debris, homes and cares are crushed, but spirits aren't.
Lisa says, "We were outside for just a few minutes and people were offering to help clean up."
But down the street from Lisa, clean up won't be so easy. Much of the damage happened at Diamond Point Park. Huge trees that are a staple of the park are torn up and just in time for the 4th of July.
Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin says, "It's pretty significant. That's the area that a lot of people go to watch the fireworks that we shoot over the lake."
He says a lot of people will have to change around their holiday plans and stay away from the area. But even though the town is a mess, vacationers are still welcome.
"The city's safe. Water and sewer are functioning. The city just looks a little different than normal," says Chief Mastin.
"It could have been a lot worse. I'm just so thankful that my kids and I weren't hurt and my pets are safe," says Lisa.
Thankful that all they have to do is clean up.
People who have debris in their yards are asked to put it to the curb so the city can pick it up next week. Electric companies have been working to restore power to the town. Last night 90% of town was without power.
UPDATE
On July 2, 2012 at approximately 7:00 pm the City of Bemidji was struck by a serve thunderstorm which caused extensive damage throughout the city and Beltrami County. The storm damaged homes and vehicles with significant winds that uprooted trees and downed numerous power lines.
A significant portion of the city lost power including the Law Enforcement Center. No reports of significant injuries have been reported. The emergency crews that responded to assist include: the Bemidji City Publics Works Dept, Bemidji Parks Department, Citizen Patrol, Bemidji Fire Department, Minnesota State Patrol, and Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.
The Bemidji Police Department requests your cooperation and assistance by staying home and restricting unnecessary travel until crews have had a chance to clear all hazards.
Chief Mike Mastin would like to thank those National Guard members that volunteered to assist with traffic control during the first few hours after the storm.
ORIGINAL STORY
Bemidji, Minnesota, is advising emergency travel only because of extensive storm damage. Here is information sent directly from Beltrami County:
Severe thunderstorms rolled across Southern Beltrami County on the evening of July 2nd 2012, leaving widespread wind damage in the Wilton, Bemidji, and Rosby communities. Especially hard hit was Rosby where thousands of trees have been blown down as well as some structural damage. The City of Bemidji has also suffered extensive damage to utility lines and utility poles. City and County crews have been working to clear the roadways, but a major obstacle has been the large number of power lines that have become entangled amongst the severe damage.
The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office and the Bemidji Police Department have requested emergency travel only in Southern Beltrami County. If you do not need to navigate roadways through the affected areas, please delay your travels. There continues to be a number of roadways covered by tree damage, but most major roadways have been cleared. In addition traffic control devices (stoplights) have sustained damage as well. It may be later morning before all repairs can be made. If you encounter an intersection with malfunctioning or dark stoplights do not assume cross traffic will stop. There are many uncontrolled intersections in Bemidji as of early Tuesday morning.
There are still thousands of customers without power in and around Bemidji as well as many areas that do not have phone or Internet service. Utility crews have been made aware of over 100 locations that have downed lines. Despite their best efforts, it may take well over 24 hours for all customers to be restored. Please do not call the Law Enforcement Center for updates on when power will be restored. Dispatchers have been inundated with storm related calls, please reserve calls to the Beltrami County Communications Center for threats to life or property and in progress crimes.
Outdoor warning sirens were sounded in Bemidji shortly after 6:30PM when the Beltrami County 911 Communications Center received notice of the impending storm by the National Weather Service Grand Forks Office. There were several public reports of a funnel cloud that developed four miles southwest of Bemidji, but tornadic activity has not been confirmed in any of the damage or by trained Skywarn Spotters. Emergency Management has been in contact with the National Weather Service to determine the type of storm event that affected Beltrami County. Without a complete analysis by a storm damage assessment team, the most likely cause of the damage was a strong "bow echo".
A city-wide curfew remains in effect from 11:00PM July 2nd to 6:00AM July 3rd for Bemidji. There have been no injuries directly as a result of these storms.
Oak Hills Christian College, Courtesy of Lindsay Spragg
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