Strong winds cause property damage throughout Spring Valley

Everyone’s tired of rain but the homeowners in Spring Valley who have plywood and tarps on their roofs are serious.  A strong thunderstorm that swept into town shortly before 6pm Wednesday left a path of destruction.

Huge trees and tree limbs were brought down onto homes, power lines and roads.

Jesse Dergance lives on Ladd Lane, a wooded area that was buzzing with the noise of chainsaws after the storm had passed.  She was at Target when the storm hit and learned about the damage from her husband.   A tree had come down on their house and into their living room.  They had plans to stay with family.

Many homes on the west and south side of town had similar damage or many trees down.  Utility crews were busy restoring power.  By about nine last night, most customers had their power back on.

Brian Pierce with the National Weather Service in Quad Cities says they’ believe the damage was caused by straight-line thunderstorm winds.  He estimated wind speeds to be anywhere from 60 miles per hour to 80-85 miles per hour.