SIBLEY, Iowa (KELO) — People in northwest Iowa are assessing damages after high winds rolled through the area Wednesday afternoon.
From split trees to scattered tin, you could see evidence of a strong storm throughout Sibley, Iowa.
Osceola County Emergency Manager Corey Shearer sprang into action once he saw the severe thunderstorm warning Wednesday afternoon.
“I got about two miles out of town when I saw the dust cloud coming across. A couple miles wide is what I could see. When I was in the thick of it, the wind speed, one speed reader that I use in the truck, I calculated up to 67 miles an hour. Then, I called into dispatch and activated the Sibley siren,” Shearer said.
That siren caught the attention of Brandon Rusche of Spine and Sport Chiropractic.
“I was in the room adjusting a patient. Then, all of a sudden, we heard the tornado sirens go off, and then we heard a big thud, which I’m assuming is that tree over there that snapped off and got the front end of my van. Then, I looked at the patient. I said, ‘I think we probably should go down to the basement now.,’ so we headed down,” Rusche said.
The high winds bent street signs, damaged some signage at the Casey’s, the roof of a shed and the north side of the Family Dollar, which was already covered with tarps.
At the city park, parts of trees came tumbling down, leaving city crews with a tall task in the coming days.
The near 70-mile-per-hour gusts also knocked down power lines and shut down a section of County Road 22 east of town. You can see some power lines missing as crews work to repair them.
“15 poles were tipped over, and they’re actually working on that hopefully being back on mid Friday,” Shearer said.
Back in town, people have been working hard to get back on track.
“Yesterday, there was a lot of pay loaders from the city moving stuff off, and electric trucks, fire trucks and ambulances were all about checking on everybody. It was good to see everyone out helping each other out,” Rusche said.
Shearer is encouraging residents to bring debris to the city dump site or leave it at the curb for crews to pick it up.
