Lake residents clean up following Fourth of July storms
Marie Moyer
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (KMIZ)
Lake residents were still managing the aftermath of the Fourth of July storms Monday, with thousands without power.
At around 5 p.m. Monday, Ameren’s online outage map showed around 2,500 customers powerless across the lake area. Officials clocked wind speeds of around 80 miles per hour, leading to several down trees and tree limbs.
“We ran 26 calls on Saturday alone,” Mid County Fire Protection Chief Scott Frandsen said. “It came basically out of nowhere and it wasn’t really wasn’t forecasted, the gust front that came through did quite a bit of damage all over the lake area.”
Seth Caby, of Caby’s Cuts Tree Service, said the effects of Saturday’s storm were some of the worst he has seen in 12 years of work. The group helped cut down trees in the Osage Beach throughout the weekend, including trees on cars, roads and even one that went through a house.
Caby reported crews working 13-14 hours Sunday clearing high-priority properties.
“It started Sunday like it is today and then real quick and in a hurry, it just got dark and gray,” Caby said. “It just kind of went into chaos and I’d say within a matter of 30 minutes, it was sunny again, and then the phone started ringing.”
MCFPD also reported several boat docks breaking loose and one person who was rescued after getting stuck in an elevator during a power outage. No deaths were reported.
According to a press release from Southwest Electric Cooperative, who oversees electricity for several counties, there were reportedly around 12,500 services without power following the storm. Crews restored power in 36 hours. However, Co-Mo Electric Cooperative locations still saw some outages Monday.
Frandsen agreed the storm was unusual for the area.
“We had to cut up some trees to open up some roads, we had to provide some security, some wires down, until the utility companies could get there and secure them,” Frandsen said.
With the storm moving through quickly, both Frandsen and Caby said they could easily focus on recovery and cleanup.
“Everywhere we went, there was neighbors helping neighbors, cleaning up, doing what they could do, it’s a strong, loving family community for sure,” Caby said.