Storm rips through area
Tue, 08/28/2018 - 12:31pm
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The storm rolled in after midnight on Sunday, August 26. Part of Polk County was under a tornado watch. There was damage in the City of Winger again as the winds blew through. Also in Fosston the City of Fosston’s cable TV went town with the 66 mph winds.
Pine Lake campgounds south of Gonvick was hit hard as well. Several trailers were turned over and roofs on permanent cabins were taken off. Most people in the campers had left Sunday night as the weather was cool and rainy.
One man, Gary Godtland from Fosston stayed in his trailer and he left as soon as he could.
Damage to permanent cabins was extensive with roofs blown off and trees snapped off in several directions. Some docks were intact and others destroyed. A jet ski sat untouched with a fishing boat on one side blown to the north about 100 feet and a pontoon taken over 500 feet in another direction.
The picnic shelter on the beach was shattered and parts blown all over the campground. The fish cleaning house was intact but another outbuilding was moved off its foundation. The water slide that has been in the lake for years was still there as well as the playground equipment next to the shelter.
Power companies were out early and poles between Clearbrook and Gonvick were put up quickly.
A sunflower field between Gonvick and Fosston had an L shape pattern blown down.
The aluminum stands at the rodeo grounds were flipped on its side in Gonvick and several branches and trees were down.
Clearbrook had more damage as a shop by Charps in Clearbrook had the roof blown off and in pieces scattered a great distance.
Wild rice at the rice plant was still in piles outside of the building which was fortunate. A pickup had a tree over the cab and the Clearbrook trailer park had trees down.
Out in the country northeast of Clearbrook the tops of both silos on the Brendalen property went down.
The large shed that Paul Rydeen built on his property had the roof blown off with pieces and parts across the next field. Debris was wrapped around an electric pole across the road.
What the people at the Pine Lake campground said was they were glad that no one was hurt. The sound of chain saws could be heard all over the facilities as the work will continue to clean up the mess.