Towns throughout the area are clearing debris and repairing damages after the severe thunderstorm that blew through last Friday night into Saturday morning. An extensive amount of tree damage was caused by high winds, leading to power outages that took several days to repair.

“The storm was probably 90 minutes, but the impacts were long-lasting,” commented Jim Sharp, Warren County’s emergency management director. “Our crews worked hard — fire, law enforcement, medics, they were out literally all night, continuously, with trees into homes, power lines down, motor vehicle accidents.”

No severe injuries were reported as a result of the storm, according to local emergency agencies.

Sharp said 75 mph winds were measured during the storm. He estimated that upwards of 7,000 households were without power at the height of the outages on Saturday morning. Crews from Ameren and Cuivre River Electric Cooperative worked continuously for the next few days to reduce that number to hundreds, and then to dozens. All power was restored by Wednesday.

No significant road damage or flooding had been identified after the storms, Sharp said, but a number of roads were blocked by trees and brush that needed to be cleared. He commented that for a while the situation was a little overwhelming for road crews and emergency crews responding to calls, but that he was proud of how local leaders had tackled the situation.

“At the height of things that night, when we went into emergency operations, all three area fire chiefs were on the road providing hands-on direction for their operations,” Sharp said. “We even had elected officials out doing damage assessments Saturday morning, out on the roads making sure they are in OK shape. I’m grateful for that.”

Anyone who wants to receive emergency weather warnings on their phone can sign up online for the Code Red alert program at warrencountyema.com.

Emergency responders

Marthasville Fire District Chief Jeff Backhaus said his crews responded to several vehicle accidents caused by brush on the roads. He said one vehicle was trapped among brush and live power lines for several hours until an Ameren crew could arrive and safely remove the occupants.

With continued rain in the forecast, Backhaus said his crews will be on alert for flooding caused by debris blocking streams and culverts.

Warrenton Fire Chief Anthony Hayeslip said two incidents of severe damage were caused by the storm: a tree fell through the roof of a house on Lix Road, and half the roof was torn off of the Cat5 Construction building in Warrenton. Hayeslip speculated that ground saturation and soft soil from all the recent rain made it easier for trees to fall in the high winds. 

Leaders of the Warren County and Marthasville Community ambulance districts said they assisted several patients who are on home oxygen systems that were having difficulties during the power outage.

Biggest fair day canceled

The threat of continued thunderstorms into late afternoon Saturday derailed all plans for what would have been the biggest day of the Warren County Fair. The fair’s board of directors announced early that morning that all events and rides were canceled, other than jackpot livestock shows.

That was a major blow to for the fair organization, which relies on Saturday as its biggest day for events and ticket sales. Fair Board President Paul Owenby said the organization hopes to make up some of the events in the fall, after attractions like the rodeo and truck pull are done touring other county fairs. Nothing is scheduled yet, but it’s possible there could be a “fair makeup day,” Owenby said.

“The three days of the fair that we did have were great. ... If we can pull off a one-day event in the fall, I think we’d be in good shape,” Owenby said. “We appreciate all the community support and involvement.”