Monday evening storm wreaks havoc
A fierce thunderstorm barreled through Monroe County and surrounding areas shortly after 6 p.m. Monday, resulting in downed trees and limbs, power outages and other damage.
“If you don’t have to go out tonight it would be a good idea not to,” Monroe County Emergency Management Agency Director Ryan Weber said Monday night. “There are lines down and trees down everywhere. Crews are out working to get power on and roads clear, but I would expect it to be awhile.”
In Waterloo, trees were reported down across the roadway on Evansville Avenue, James Street and Osterhage Drive as well as on Church Street near City Hall and South Library Street near the Col. Morrison home. Tree branches fell on vehicles parked on North and South Library Street .
A downed power pole and wire on FF Road off Route 3 also had emergency crews responding.
A power pole was also reported as down on the roadway on HH Road at Deer Hill Road and Waterloo police responded to a downed electrical line on Morrison Avenue.
Other reports of trees across the roadway were being reported on Maeystown Road just west of Maeystown, Steppig Road near D Road in Columbia, Centerville Road in Columbia, Hanover Road, Trout Hollow Road, Nike Road, Bluff Road, Kaskaskia Road, Baum Road and in the area of Andy Road at White Oak Drive. Lines were reported down in the area of Keim Road. Several trees were reported down in the areas of Coxeyville Road, Gilmore Lake Road and Lakeview Drive near Fawn Run, where a tree fell toward a house and the upper branches came to rest on a house.
The Waterloo Fire Department responded shortly before 8 p.m. to a report of a tree on a house in the 3200 block of Cedar Ridge Lane with minimal structural damage.
There were also several reports of trees on power lines and a power outage in Hecker. A survey of the village Tuesday morning showed damage at St. Augustine Catholic Church, part of a metal roof ripped off in the 200 block of North Main Street and trees on and near houses on North Orchard Lane.
Strong winds also blew the roof off a metal barn in Millstadt.
Volunteer firefighters, road district personnel and local police agencies worked through the night to clear the roadways and assist utility crews in restoring power to affected residents.
