MONROE - Barely making it to the space under a counter, Chuck Harlan was happy to make it through the high winds that tore through the area Wednesday morning and left a path of destruction across parts of Green County.
"I didn't have time to go anywhere else," said Harlan, manager of Carrousel Grain Service on County FF.
The strong winds lasted only a minute or two, but they caused a lot of damage. Several crop storage buildings were heavily damaged, and winds physically moved a 500,000 bushel bin.
Harlan estimated there may have been several hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to various buildings.
Fortunately, the building he was in was not damaged.
"It wouldn't have been very pretty," Harlan said.
According to Green County EMS Coordinator Tanna McKeon, the city of Monroe had 100 trees that were either knocked down or lost limbs; and three to four houses sustained damage from fallen trees. The local Red Cross, she said, also was assisting one resident of an apartment building heavily damaged at 11th Avenue and 20th Street.
"It was a short-lived storm but it caused a lot of damage in a short period of time," said McKeon. "I talked to the National Weather Service, and they said they really didn't see this coming."
Richard Marti, patrol superintendent of the Green County Highway Department, said that the east-central part of Green County, near Albany, was hardest hit. McKeon said the village lost power for several hours immediately following the storm, which struck at about 10:30 a.m. But by late afternoon, she added, power was restored to about half of the town.
"There were two trees down on state highways," Marti said, adding that County SS and County FF were impacted, and another tree was reportedly down in the Town of Adams. A small shed and a corn crib also were damaged, he said.
Winds at the Monroe airport Wednesday were estimated at about 85 miles mph or more, said airport supervisor Rob Driver. The airport lost power about two minutes before the winds hit.
"Lids from the gas pumps went flying by, and I decided it was time for me to get inside," he said. "Those weigh about 100 to 200 pounds apiece."
Driver said one of the heavy lids was blown about 600 feet.
Others at the airport, Driver said, reported seeing a commercial dumpster, fully loaded and without wheels, move about 30 feet. Another dumpster with wheels ended up along the north fence line.
"At one point (during the storm), I saw the wind sock standing straight out, and the next time I looked, it was torn to shreds," he added.
Monroe Street Supervisor Tom Boll said the line of damage to trees runs from about 30th Street and Wisconsin 69 to the North Industrial Park.
In the wake of the storm, he said, crews from both the street and fire departments used chain saws to clear the damage. Boll said his department will likely continue to clear debris in the days ahead.
- Times staffers Holly Ann Garey, Tere Dunlap and Gary Mays contributed to this report.
"I didn't have time to go anywhere else," said Harlan, manager of Carrousel Grain Service on County FF.
The strong winds lasted only a minute or two, but they caused a lot of damage. Several crop storage buildings were heavily damaged, and winds physically moved a 500,000 bushel bin.
Harlan estimated there may have been several hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to various buildings.
Fortunately, the building he was in was not damaged.
"It wouldn't have been very pretty," Harlan said.
According to Green County EMS Coordinator Tanna McKeon, the city of Monroe had 100 trees that were either knocked down or lost limbs; and three to four houses sustained damage from fallen trees. The local Red Cross, she said, also was assisting one resident of an apartment building heavily damaged at 11th Avenue and 20th Street.
"It was a short-lived storm but it caused a lot of damage in a short period of time," said McKeon. "I talked to the National Weather Service, and they said they really didn't see this coming."
Richard Marti, patrol superintendent of the Green County Highway Department, said that the east-central part of Green County, near Albany, was hardest hit. McKeon said the village lost power for several hours immediately following the storm, which struck at about 10:30 a.m. But by late afternoon, she added, power was restored to about half of the town.
"There were two trees down on state highways," Marti said, adding that County SS and County FF were impacted, and another tree was reportedly down in the Town of Adams. A small shed and a corn crib also were damaged, he said.
Winds at the Monroe airport Wednesday were estimated at about 85 miles mph or more, said airport supervisor Rob Driver. The airport lost power about two minutes before the winds hit.
"Lids from the gas pumps went flying by, and I decided it was time for me to get inside," he said. "Those weigh about 100 to 200 pounds apiece."
Driver said one of the heavy lids was blown about 600 feet.
Others at the airport, Driver said, reported seeing a commercial dumpster, fully loaded and without wheels, move about 30 feet. Another dumpster with wheels ended up along the north fence line.
"At one point (during the storm), I saw the wind sock standing straight out, and the next time I looked, it was torn to shreds," he added.
Monroe Street Supervisor Tom Boll said the line of damage to trees runs from about 30th Street and Wisconsin 69 to the North Industrial Park.
In the wake of the storm, he said, crews from both the street and fire departments used chain saws to clear the damage. Boll said his department will likely continue to clear debris in the days ahead.
- Times staffers Holly Ann Garey, Tere Dunlap and Gary Mays contributed to this report.