Severe Weather Causes Damage Across Mahaska County

Strong winds from a storm that blew through the Mahaska County area on Wednesday are thought to have toppled this tractor-trailer along Merino Ave.

Strong winds from a storm that blew through the Mahaska County area on Wednesday are thought to have toppled this tractor-trailer along Merino Ave.

Toppled tractor trailer and heavily damaged structure along with heavy tree damage are some of the reports.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The severe weather slammed into Oskaloosa just before 1:30 in the afternoon, with winds in excess of 70 miles-per-hour, torrential rains and some lightning.

When the rain settled, residents were left to clean up the debris left in the wake of the year’s most violent storm to hit the area.

On Merino Ave, north of Oskaloosa, the call for help went out to the Oskaloosa Fire Department and the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office to an overturned tractor-trailer that was apparently blown over by the winds.

Zach Sharpe with WeatherNation.com was one of the first on the scene to the overturned tractor-trailer. Upon their arrival, Sharp said they checked the truck and found no one in it, and the driver had already been picked up and was “alright”.

Mahaska County Emergency Manager, Jamey Robinson said that the severe storm status developed quickly, and they received about a minute-and-a-half notice from the National Weather Service of the approaching storm.

Initial damage reports from Oskaloosa included uprooted trees and downed power lines, including the electricity to Mahaska Health Partnership. Their backup generator kicked in nearly instantly and all essential functions of the hospital continued uninterrupted.

Near the Izaak Walton League facility east of Oskaloosa, a building was nearly destroyed by the wind, and the cab from a pickup truck was moved from one owner’s property to another’s, nearly 100 yards away.

Out at Keomah Village many trees and live power lines were down in the lakeside community.

Crews from New Sharon Fire, Oskaloosa Fire, Mahaska County CERT and MidAmerican Energy all worked to clear the roads of downed trees and live power lines.

New Sharon Fire has a disaster response trailer and crew that has lots of experience in storm cleanups and search and rescue operations. The group has travelled to several major natural disasters, including the Joplin tornado, Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.

Robinson said that no injuries were reported to him or his office as a result of the storm. “We’re just trying to get the infrastructure open and up and running again”.

Robinson said that the winds indicated a straight-line wind event, but his office will send all of their data to the National Weather Service for further evaluation.

A special test of the storm sirens is planned for Friday after reports came in from residents that the sirens didn’t work.

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