Storm rips through Beltrami County, causing widespread damage

July 22--BEMIDJI -- A fast-moving thunderstorm ripped through the Bemidji area early Thursday morning, knocking out power for more than 10,000 people and uprooting trees and power poles and causing widespread damage.

The storm hit about 1 a.m. Thursday, and the National Weather Service's warning forecast winds of up to 80 miles per hour for southern Beltrami County, according to the county's Emergency Management department. Outdoor warning sirens were activated and a CodeRED Emergency Notification was issued just after 1 a.m., the department said.

According to Beltrami County Emergency Manager Christopher Muller, a severe thunderstorm producing wind speeds of more than 70 miles per hour is one of three weather events that will activate local sirens. The others are tornado warnings from the weather service and tornado sightings from trained spotters or law enforcement.

By 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Muller said county, city and township crews were still working to clear roadways to make sure emergency vehicles can get through.

"We're going to be working on this into the afternoon and there will be tree clearing all the way through the weekend," Muller said. "Based on the assessments and reports, the Bemidji area was the worst hit in Beltrami County."

During the storm, Bill Barrett, a meteorologist technician with the weather service in Grand Forks, said wind gust measurements ranged from 60 miles per hour at the Bemidji Regional Airport to 80 miles per hour at the Bemidji Department of Natural Resources office.

Barrett said the system stayed in the entire region until about 3 a.m. and moved out of the state at about 6 a.m.

"I've been here for 14 years, I would have to pen this year, right now, as above average," Barrett said regarding this summer's storm activity. "The last two years were a little below average, where this year is more. It's not the absolute max, but this is trending higher than what we expected."

City, county and state crews were working early Thursday to clear debris from roadways, and the widespread power outages left several traffic lights disabled. The Emergency Management department said arterial roadways were being cleared first.

No injuries have been reported as a result of the storm as of Thursday evening.

In Bemidji, multiple crews were working to clear roads and ensure public facilities and infrastructure was safe and functional, the city said in a press release. Both Diamond Point Park and the City Disc Golf Course were closed until city crews could remove downed trees and ensure safety. Additionally, there is no power in some of the park facilities as well as Neilson Reise Arena.

Because of the widespread damage within the city, officials said they are allowing residents to clean up their property by placing brush and tree limbs on the curb for pick up. To allow for sufficient time, the pickup will take place Tuesday.

Both BSU and Northwest Technical College remained open Thursday, but there were some trees down and some windows broken on the BSU campus, said Scott Faust, director of communications and marketing for BSU and NTC.

Several buildings of Sanford Bemidji Medical Center sustained some damage, but operations were up and running normally by noon, the organization said in a release. Patients with canceled appointments were contacted directly and future appointments are still on for scheduled times, according to Sanford.

Power outages

The severe storm also caused widespread power outages Thursday, with more than 5,500 members of Beltrami Electric Cooperative without electricity as of 8 a.m. By 3:30 p.m., that number had dropped to 3,900.

Beltrami Electric called in assistance from another cooperative to help restore energy and crews have been working since the storm hit, the company said in a release.

Beltrami Electric is urging members still without power to report the outage to (218) 444-2540 or (800) 955-6083, as there is a chance some could still be without power once the main feeder lines are restored.

Otter Tail Power Co. meanwhile said 7,500 customers were without power at one point and had 4,000 without electricity at 10 a.m. According to Public Relations Manager Stephanie Hoff, the company doesn't have an estimated time of restoration for the whole area, but by 3:30 p.m., there were still 2,500 without electricity.

"Multiple lines and feeders are down," Hoff said Thursday morning. "There were two major lines on the eastern side of Bemidji that sustained damage and have to be rebuilt."

In some cases, a feeder line may go back online and restore power to the system, but an individual home might remain without power, Hoff said. In those cases, Hoff said an electrician may be required to connect services.

"That's one of the things that's tricky about knowing how many are without power," Hoff said.

Along with electricity, homeowners are being reminded by the Minnesota Commerce Department to get in contact with insurance companies after the storm.

"Insurance is meant to be there at times like this when people are most vulnerable," said Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman in a press release. "Minnesotans who suffered property damage from recent storms should contact their insurer as soon as possible. The Minnesota Commerce Department is here to help people understand the claims process and provide assistance if they have problems with their insurance."

Planes flip over

Bemidji Regional Airport also felt the effects of storm damage Thursday. Tracie Walter, Bemidji Aviation vice president, said three single engine aircraft at the airport sustained damage after flipping over.

"It takes a large storm to do this kind of damage," Walter said.

Bemidji Sports Centre employees found major damage this morning when they arrived to work. Two of the buildings were without roofs, and there were two-by-fours stuck in machines and a trailer had flipped.

"Everybody is helping clean up, even our HR ladies," said Josh Hanson, a salesman. "We have a lot to clean up and a lot to repair. There is insulation and tin everywhere, in some spots it looks like it snowed."

Hanson said there were two-by-fours that had splintered in the wind, and one two-by-four went through a wall.

"After seeing all the damage here, I'm so surprised no one was hurt. When you have two-by-fours going into walls, that's a crazy storm," he said. "We're glad to hear no one was injured and we hope the community is doing OK."

The storm reached beyond Bemidji and Beltrami County as it moved east. There was a massive power outage at Itasca State Park near Park Rapids, which caused the park to be closed indefinitely, according to Minnesota's DNR website.

The storms caused all lodging units to lose power, including park phones.

"A lot of trees (and) debris down on the ground," Brian Halbasch, a deputy sheriff for Hubbard County, told the Pioneer in an email. "A lot of areas of Hubbard County do not have power."

Halbasch said there was damage to cars, boats and homes on the county and that wind gusts at the Park Rapids airport were reported at 55 miles per hour.

And the storm hit the region just as one of the summer's biggest events started. Wednesday night was the opening night for the Moondance Jam festival near Walker, Minn.

Bernie Schumacher, a Moondance employee, said that there is no power and multiple trees down. No injuries have been reported.

"Everyone is wet and awnings on campers are trashed," she said. "There's a handful of trees down and were not sure what the status is on power, or when we will get it back."

Despite the power outage and damage Schumacher said the show will go on.

"Like always, we make things work and figure things out," she said. "The show must go on."

Farther east, the storms had more deadly consequences. Two people died and others were injured after a powerful storm ripped across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park early Thursday, with the same storm downing trees and knocking out power in the Ely area.

It appeared Basswood Lake on the Minnesota-Ontario border was a hard-hit area, with the Lake County Sheriff's Office confirming two fatalities there.

The St. Louis County Rescue Squad was assisting Lake County on the Basswood Lake incident, said Dave Phillips, St. Louis County undersheriff. He said a party of nine campers was involved.

The group was with the Northern Tier National High Adventure Base program, affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. The deceased were a 39-year old woman, a volunteer, and a 13-year-old boy, who died when trees fell on them. A spokeswoman with the Boy Scouts of America office in Irving, Texas, said they would release the names and hometowns of the victims after their families have been notified.

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