A possible tornado struck Forada, a city of about 160 residents in downtown Minnesota, on Monday, knocking down power lines and damaging up to 100 homes, a county spokesman said.
Julie Anderson, director of the emergency department in Douglas County, Minnesota, said there were no immediate reports of significant injuries or deaths in Forada, about 135 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
She said rescuers went door-to-door to check on residents as utility teams cleared damaged power lines and ensured safety lines were disabled.
She said the damage was limited to part of Forada and “was not widespread”.
Speaking to KARE-TV from a severely affected street, Stephen VanLuick, Forada’s fire chief, expressed astonishment at the damage.
“Oh, the devastation of homes, vehicles, trees – it’s amazing,” he said. “In this section of the road we are standing on now, if there is nothing that has not been hit, it is remarkable.”
David Rehler, the mayor of Forada, said at least part of the city had suffered a direct hit and that many houses and buildings had been damaged.
He said tornadoes were very rare in Forada and that a hailstorm the size of a golf ball rained down on the city on Sunday night. “It’s just a very unusual year,” he said.
The small town of Eagle Bend, about 30 miles northeast of Forada, was also affected, according to Michael Wisniewski, director of the emergency department in Todd County, Minnesota. He said at least one home had lost its roof and that many power lines had been torn down. He said there were no reports of injuries or deaths in Todd County.
“Everyone is safe,” Mr Vishnevski said.
Earlier Monday, the National Meteorological Service’s office in the Twin Cities area issued a tornado clock, classifying it as a “particularly dangerous situation.”
“We don’t include this wording often,” the office said. “The environment is conducive to strong tornadoes, and everyone in the watch must keep a close eye on this situation.”
Local authorities warned people to take refuge on Monday as strong thunderstorms and possible tornadoes approached.
The Meteorological Service said strong thunderstorms were forecast on Monday in parts of the northern plains and upper Mississippi Valley.
“Big to giant hail,” gusts of 60 to 80 miles per hour and tornadoes are likely, the meteorological service said, including the possibility of several long-range tornadoes traveling the earth over long distances.
More than 72,000 customers in Minnesota were without power as of Monday night, according to PowerOutage.us, which summarizes data from utilities in the United States.
“Be aware of the storm, Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Waltz wrote on Twitter Monday afternoon. “We are watching the new round of storms and we have teams working to restore power to the state as quickly as possible.
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