COTTAGE GROVE, Minnesota. — The mayor of Cottage Grove declared a state of emergency early Friday morning due to damage caused by the latest powerful storm to hit the Twin Cities this week.
Mayor Myron Bailey says homeowners should contact their insurance company if there is damage. The city will not enter private property to remove trees or debris.
Cottage Grove will be collecting residential waste at the curb. Residents must place tree debris at the curb by Sunday. The city will also be removing or pruning trees along public streets.
There were multiple reports of tornadoes in both Minnesota and Wisconsin on Thursday, including one caught on traffic cameras near Interstate 94 in Baldwin.
Some people in the subway didn’t even have a chance to clean themselves completely the two storms earlier this week before they had to clean up Thursday’s mess. In Andover, crews used front-end loaders to clear the streets.
Huge trees were blown down across the metro and beyond, including in Anoka, Champlin and Fridley.
Thursday’s storm delayed the Gophers’ home opener in Minneapolis by four hours. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport also had a ground stop in the late afternoon, and the Minnesota State Fair temporarily closed its gates as the worst of the storms raged through.
Xcel Energy reports that as of 6 a.m. Friday, more than 12,000 customers were still without power in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
Cleanup continues after week of heavy storms
On Thursday, people worked hard to restore power and clean up in preparation for the latest storm.
Three days after a stormParts of the Como neighborhood in St. Paul remain without power.
Andy Rodriguez with St. Paul Parks and Recreation says they’ve prioritized clearing large trees on the roadways, but clearing debris along side streets will take some time.
“This will be a multi-week cleanup, with our teams working extra hours, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., as much as possible,” Rodriguez said.
Scott Sydor woke up Monday to a loud bang and a flash of light. Three days later, he still has a large tree in his backyard.
“I think a 120-foot maple tree fell off two houses, spanning the last three backyards… those were exciting times!” said Sydor.
He’s thankful he didn’t lose power, but his neighbor wasn’t so lucky. So he did the neighbor thing, running an extension cord from his house to theirs
“It’s actually good for the neighborhood because we interact more with each other. We share coffee, fridges and freezers so things don’t spoil,” he says.
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation also cleans up tree debris after storms. People are encouraged to report fallen trees in their neighborhood if they have not been addressed.
Marielle Mohs
