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Cleanup of damaged buildings, downed trees and mangled power lines continued in northern Minnesota on Sunday, in the wake of severe storms that walloped the region early Saturday.
The storms produced winds of more than 100 mph — equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.
More than 15,000 homes and businesses remained without power in northern Minnesota as of Sunday morning. That was down from more than 50,000 in the immediate wake of Saturday’s storms.
Line crews from elsewhere in the state were helping local utilities restore power in Bemidji, Cass Lake, Bagley, Mahnomen and surrounding areas.
“The remaining repairs are extensive, with more broken poles discovered as work continues,” Beltrami Electric Cooperative reported late Saturday night. “This storm has caused some of the worst damage our communities have seen in decades.”
The utility noted that in good conditions — when crews don’t have to cut through downed trees to access it — it takes four line workers about four hours to replace a single utility pole.
“We are still tallying and don’t have a total number of broken poles yet, but there are dozens,” the co-op reported.
Otter Tail Power said it had about 50 line workers making repairs in Bemidji, where thousands of customers remained without power Sunday. The utility said some parts of the city may be without power for several days. It was also contending with another round of storms moving through the region on Sunday morning that had caused new outages to the south, near Fergus Falls.
Wild Rice Electric and Clearwater-Polk Electric Cooperative were among the other utilities hit hard by the storms.
State of emergency
The city of Bemidji and Beltrami County each declared states of emergency in the wake of the storms. It’s a needed step to access additional resources for storm response and recovery efforts.
The city’s proclamation noted that the storms caused “catastrophic loss to property and the environment.”
The National Weather Service’s Grand Forks office sent a crew to survey the damage in Bemidji. As of late Saturday, it had not yet determined whether it was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds — or some combination of both.
As thousands of residents in the region started a second day without power, temperatures were forecast to climb back into the 90s on Sunday. There’s an American Red Cross emergency shelter at the Sanford Center in Bemidji.
Beltrami County reported that its demolition landfill had extended its hours to accept storm debris. It will be open on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Monday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., before returning to normal hours on Tuesday.
Curbside tree debris pickup in the city of Bemidji will begin on Monday.
County officials urged residents to be careful to protect their health and safety — and their wallets — during the cleanup.
“Please use caution as you clear debris and help your neighbors,” Beltrami County reported in a news release late Saturday. “Be wary of potential scammers doing nefarious business following a disaster. Review documents before you enter contracts and if you feel rushed, maybe wait and go with a reputable business.”
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