Benton County Cleans Up After Morning Storms

By Dave Franzman, Reporter

Tools

By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Jun 19, 2009 at 4:26 PM CST

Story Updated: Jun 19, 2009 at 4:26 PM CST

BENTON COUNTY - The high winds scattered limbs and even uprooted whole trees in Benton County. And that debris clogged streets, snapped power lines, and even crunched a few homes.

The Emergency Management office in Vinton compiled a list three pages long of damage like this. And in Vinton and the surrounding area, it was a day of constant clean up.

In Vinton, you had to look hard to find a street without the sound of chain saws or a utility truck scrambling to repair lines and restore power. One resident who'd gone through a tornado years before said it was a slightly different experience compared with what's officially called straight line wind damage here. Another man isn't so sure it wasn't a small tornado.

"You couldn't see out the windows...the wind was blowing so hard...and it was raining so hard and then these trees...that's why I think there was a twister in it...like I said straight winds and all of a sudden they got to twirling," said Virgil Greenwood, Vinton resident.

The National Weather Service clocked the winds in Vinton at 75 miles an hour. An unofficial report from nearby Garrison put the wind speedometer at 87 miles an hour.

Downed trees clogging streets was enough of a problem but several homes and even the Vinton County Club got hit when the trees fell. One man helping clean up damage says a relative on vacation is going to get a call she isn't expecting.

"I took a video for her and will mail it out to her...she's going to be getting a call from a daughter...saying...oh mom, your house...something happened to it," said Jeff Seitz.

Next Article Cedar Falls Native Wounded in Afghan Explosion

Conversation Guidelines

Be Kind

Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.

Share Knowledge

Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.

Stay focused

Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.

Report Trouble

Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.

read the full guidelines here »

Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Violent crime, sexual abuse, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.