HYRUM – A burst of wind blew through Hyrum early Tuesday morning, knocking down trees and power lines throughout the city.
“I think the cemetery got the brunt of the damage,” said Hyrum City Treasurer Todd Perkins. “We have crews all over the city trying to clean things up.”
He said he drove around and saw several people with chainsaws and trailers trying to help their neighbors.
“I think if people wanted to come to the cemetery with chainsaws they could help clear out some of the trees,” he said.
A blue spruce was just one of the huge trees toppled in the cemetery and Braxton Wood was feverishly trying to clear it.
“We have a graveside service today and the grave has been dug and is under this tree,” he said. “We have to clear this one and the one across the road over there, too.”
When some of the trees blew over it broke waterlines and took some of the grave markers with them. They also fell on top of some of the headstones and knocked some of them over.
Michelle Wilson, at 653 Main Street, was startled from her sleep when a tree crashed on to the roof of her home.
“The tree put a hole in our roof, but it didn’t come into the house as far as we can tell,” she said. “This is probably the best angle.”
She walked over to show the roots of the tree sticking out of the ground with her house behind her.
Blake Christensen was riding a lawn mower at Lincoln Elementary School and picking up leaves and branches that were scattered all over the lawn at the school. A big tree blew down next to the school just missing the school by less than a few yards.
Christensen is a fireman for the city and had been up since the early morning dowsing two shed fires on Mill Hollow Road in Nibley and clearing debris from the roads and driveways in that area.
“This is crazy,” he said taking a break from his mower. “We haven’t had wind like this since 1982. It blew trees down in the cemetery that year, too.”
Several big trees blew over in the city ballpark on the east side of Hyrum exposing the root systems.
Quentin Voth, a lineman for Hyrum Power and Light, was clearing a pine tree that crushed a powerline and took out a power pole.
Three power poles along 100 North all broke and will need to be replaced.
The wind knocked the power out from at approximately 4 a.m. for about three hours.
Christine Kruse, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, said the Logan airport reported wind speeds at about 68 mph.
“North Logan reported winds speeds 58 miles per hour, our station just west of Nibley reported 41 mph,” she said. “Our station just outside of Paradise 59 mph. We have no weather spotter in Hyrum.”