JUNEAU, Wis. — Power crews are working to restore electricity, while National Weather Service meteorologists have begun surveying tornado damage in Juneau.
Tim Halbach, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, arrived in Juneau early Friday morning to begin assessing the damage from the likely tornado that struck the area.
Related:Significant damage reported in Mayville after likely tornado
“We’re just going to go to wherever reports we have of damage, and kind of go back and forth, zigzag up and down the path to see how intense the [likely] tornado was, how long and how wide, and I’ll see how many occurred as well,” Halbach said.
The assessment process is thorough and methodical, requiring careful examination of all affected structures.
Watch: National Weather Service begins damage assessment in Juneau
“It could take a while, because we do a lot of just walking back and forth. We’ll also get drone and aerial video as well to see how things looked from above, but we go to each structure and we’ll assess the rating based upon the damage that we’re seeing,” Halbach said.
The survey team evaluates construction quality to help determine wind speeds during the tornado.
“So we have to look at every single thing that got touched by the [likely] tornado. And then from that, we can estimate how high the wind speeds were. How well it was constructed plays a role in that as well. So it’s just documenting everything that happened,” Halbach said.
The assessment team will be moving to Mayville and areas in Columbia County, where additional tornado reports were received.
According to a release from the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, if you’ve experienced property damage from this week’s storms, you’re advised to:
- Make a list of damaged items, including cracks in walls, damage to siding or shingles, spoiled food due to a long-term power outage, etc.
- Take photographs of the damage before you begin to clean up.
- Don’t throw out any damaged property without the claim adjuster’s agreement.
- Keep all receipts that document the cost of the repairs or the replacement of damaged items.
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