By Mary Drier
Staff Writer
TUSCOLA COUNTY — It’s been over a week since a storm swept through the greater Thumb area and some residents are still cleaning up the aftermath.
The northern part of Tuscola County was hit hard by the storm that came through the area about 2:30 p.m., Friday, July 19. Some areas that reported extensive damage were Akron, Columbia, Wisner, and Sebewaing townships where barns and silos were taken down by the wind, and countless trees were either uprooted or branches broken off.
“Between 2:15 and 10:15 p.m. on that day, we handled 87 calls,” said Tuscola County Central Dispatch Director Bob Klenk. “There were 33 calls for road hazards with trees or limbs in the road, 47 calls for wires down, five accidents attributed to the storm, and two calls for general assistance… were to get gas for generators.”
To help with the call load, Tuscola County Emergency Services Director Steve Anderson helped man the dispatch center.
According to Klenk, this last storm was the second worse one for calls in a short span since he took over as director.
“I think my place was ground zero for that storm,” said Roger Allen, who is also a Tuscola County commissioner. “I had 96 oak trees over 150 years old taken down in a matter of minutes, and a tiki hut that I had just finished building.”
Despite all of the damage, the National Weather Service determined the destruction was from a “straight line wind” and not a tornado even though winds of 70 mph were reported.
“I still say it was a tornado. Tops of trees in my yard were twisted off 30 feet up,” said Allen, noting his barbecue grill flew in one direction while a patio lounge that was beside it went in the opposite direction.
Damage from that brief storm is still being reported and talked about.
Mary Drier is a staff writer for the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at drier@tcadvertiser.com.