SAUK CENTRE, Minn. -- Storms blew up fast in central Minnesota late Sunday night and in one of the hardest hit areas, no sirens warned people what was coming their way.
The mayor of Sauk Centre, Brad Kirckof says the sirens were activated, but did not sound. Luckily no one was hurt when 84 mile per hour straight-line winds blew through town.
Technicians are trying to figure out why the sirens did not sound. Kirckof says they are looking into whether a widespread power outage before the storm hit had anything to do with the malfunction.
Across Sauk Centre Monday, folks cleaned up from what seemed like a storm of near misses. Some homes were damaged, but even more trees fell between houses instead of one top of them. With a lot of close calls, residents consider themselves lucky, even Kyle Wolbek, whose truck has seen better days. A tree fell on top of it.
"It can always be worse...no one got hurt. That's the main thing. Vehicles are replaceable," Kyle said.
The city park was one of the hardest hit areas, where beautiful spruce trees once towered over visitors.
"When you see a tree like that and how it tore up the turf...that's a strong strong wind," said MeRoy Lillehaugen as he described a nearly 100 foot tree that is now lying on the ground in the park.
Sauk Centre's mayor says that at one point last night, the entire town was without power.
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