Waterville area finalizes tornado damage tally

Oct. 24--WATERVILLE -- Le Sueur County and several counties to the east are awaiting word on whether they will qualify for federal emergency funds from the Sept. 20 tornadoes.

"Waterville was hit the worst, but there was some severe damage around Lake Sakatah just outside of town," said Ann Traxler, Le Sueur County emergency management director.

The storm spawned 18 tornadoes according to the final analysis by the National Weather Service.

Elysian, located 8 miles west of Waterville, was untouched by tornadoes and had limited wind damage.

"We didn't have much public (property) damage, mostly some tree damage," said Jim Tatge, Elysian emergency management director.

The only structure he knew of in town that was destroyed was a garage that a tree fell on.

"There was a tornado confirmed south of town about a mile. We just got straight-line winds."

Traxler said 164 homes in the county were damaged, most from large branches damaging roofs, siding being torn off and other damage. Thirteen homes had major damage and four homes were destroyed.

While those private homes deal with their insurance companies, Traxler has been adding up public dollars spent in order to qualify for state and possibly federal help.

"Our public uninsured damages are at about $330,000," she said. Almost all of that cost comes from paying for the initial emergency response to the storm and the cost of cutting and clearing trees, limbs and branches from roadways and other public areas. "There wasn't a lot of damage to public buildings."

The amount of public damage will put the county well over the state's threshold for qualifying for state assistance. But for FEMA to provide federal assistance, all the storm damage in the state from Sept. 20 has to reach $8 million in public uninsured damages.

Traxler said state officials are just wrapping up reviewing the damage estimates submitted by counties and she's unsure if the state will reach the federal threshold or not.

There were nearly a dozen counties that had damage with Rice and Goodhue counties and the Prairie Island Indian Community in Goodhue County hit hard.

"Rice County had a lot of damage and they have a municipal airport, so I'm not sure what the total damages will be."

While Traxler is focused on getting taxpayer expenses reimbursed, it was private property owners who suffered the most from the storms.

"Power was out Thursday and a lot of people didn't get power until late Sunday, so there was expenses there for people with their refrigerators and freezers.

"And there was no gas pumps at the service stations because there was not power. We're not used to being without power."

She said the extensive tree damage is also a financial burden for property owners.

"On private property, if a tree isn't on your home, it's not covered by insurance. But getting a tree removed that fell on their property is very expensive, so it can be a bitter pill to swallow."

But she said the fact no one was killed or seriously injured is a blessing and she said the outpouring of help was heartwarming.

"A lot of neighbors just came out and helped cut up trees. It's the good old Minnesota way."

She said there are still a few elderly residents on rural properties that could use some help clearing downed trees. She said if anyone with a chainsaw wants to help, they should contact her office at 507-380-0048.

Follow Tim Krohn on Twitter @TimKrohn

___

(c)2018 The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.)

Visit The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.) at www.mankatofreepress.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.