Weather and Climate News

Storm relief efforts continue in Bemidji, thousands still without power

Tree roots visible on the ground
Tree roots are visible after strong winds on Saturday in Bemidji.
Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

Residents of Bemidji and neighboring communities are trying to clean up after a weekend storm brought 100 mph winds and caused massive damage. 

Thousands of people were still without power Monday afternoon, though Otter Tail Power said much of Bemidji would have power restored Monday evening

Meanwhile, the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to extend its State of Emergency status by 30 days.

“I can tell you that there probably isn’t a business in town that wasn’t damaged in some way, shape or form,” Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince told Minnesota Now host Nina Moini. “And there wasn’t a neighborhood that didn’t experience some sort of damage ranging from, you know, moderate to severe.”

Street signs on the ground
As of Monday afternoon, many street signs remained where they fell during the storm in Bemidji.
Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

Prince said most of the major roadways and side streets are now passable. 

“Now we’re coming back, and we’re picking up and cleaning up all of those trees and debris that was pushed to the side to make way,” he said.

In an update Sunday, Beltrami County officials said a survey of the extensive storm damage to buildings, trees and power lines found wind speeds may have reached 120 mph when the storms barreled through early Saturday. That’s equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

There was a 10-mile wide swath of damage across southern Beltrami County, including the city of Bemidji. The storms also caused major damage in other communities, including Cass Lake, Bagley and Mahnomen.

As line crews continued their work to restore power in northwest Minnesota, another round of severe storms affected central and northeastern parts of the state early Monday, knocking out electricity to thousands more customers.

Prince said a nonprofit group called Community Resource Connections is coordinating volunteer efforts for folks who want to help with cleanup.

A street sign lays on the ground.
Winds of more than 100 mph knocked down trees, power lines and signs in Bemidji early Saturday, and caused damage to buildings.
Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

He noted that in the first hours following the big storm, the city received around 100 calls about gas leaks, which are now largely contained. But he said some people weren’t home when the storms hit and may yet discover new problems as they enter their properties.

Meanwhile, a Red Cross Emergency Shelter was set up in the Sanford Convention Center in Bemidji.

Amy Bowels, Beltrami County’s public health director and community health service administrator, has been coordinating relief efforts between five organizations. She said about 100 people slept at the convention center Sunday night. Others just come for meals.

“They come in, they get their packaged meal, they can come back and take a case of water per family,” she said.

Overnight shelter options are discontinuing, but food, water and other services will be available until Wednesday evening.

School worker Debby Yates, who lives in downtown Bemidji, stopped by for some services. She said her family has been without power since the storm hit, which has been hard to manage, given the hot weather this past weekend.

“The last couple days have been extremely humid. My daughter got very sick yesterday and was throwing up because of the humidity,” she said. “So we’ve been taking lots of ice water, kind of pat downs, and my dogs have been too hot and so just trying to make it through and waiting for this cooler weather that came through.”

A person leaves a shelter
School worker Debby Yates leaves the emergency shelter after receiving a boxed meal on Monday in Bemidji. Yates said her family has been without power since the storm hit.
Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

Business owner Scott Andersen said the loss of power caused problems at both locations of business, Keith’s Pizza in Bemidji. Andersen said he was able to rescue some food from freezers, but not all of it.

“I think we’re going to throw away, you know, a couple hundred pizzas that were frozen that we just couldn’t get to in time. And yeah, I mean, we lost all of our prep tables and stuff,” he said. “We got a little bit of a Band-Aid on everything, and we’ll go from there.”

Officials have expressed relief that so far there have been no reports of injuries or deaths as a result of the storm. 

And Yates said it’s also been great to see the community coming together. 

“I feel like I live in a wonderful community. People really step up and help each other out,” she said. “I’ve seen neighbors help neighbors, people just going out of their way to make sure everybody's as comfortable as they can be right now.”

People prepare meals
The Salvation Army prepares hot meals at the emergency shelter for people in need on Monday in Bemidji.
Mathew Holding Eagle III | MPR News

Mail service affected

The U.S. Postal Service said Saturday’s severe storms and ongoing power outages have affected mail delivery in the Bemidji area.

Retail services at the Bemidji post office have been temporarily suspended. And the Postal Service said Monday that mail delivery is limited, with downed trees still blocking access to some roads and homes. Officials said full retail and mail delivery operations will resume as soon as conditions allow.

State park damage

Saturday’s severe storms also caused major damage at several state parks.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Lake Bemidji State Park is temporarily closed due to widespread damage, including downed trees and power lines.

To the south, the DNR said La Salle Lake State Recreation Area and the very popular Itasca State Park also were hit by the storms. They’re still open — but services may be affected by the storm damage.

Officials at Itasca said the park was still without power Monday morning, and park buildings are closed. Water is not currently available in the park.

Roads are open, but there are a lot of downed trees and branches — especially on the north side of the park. The condition of hiking trails at Itasca had not been assessed as of Monday morning.

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