Montrose residents vigilant in wake of storm

Clean up

“After the holidays, we’ll start getting stuff taken care, but it’s going to take us some time to clean all this up."”

Kent Rubey, Montrose City Councilman

MONTROSE – A ride through all the inlets and outlets of Montrose shows the power of what has now officially been called a derecho that ripped through Lee County Thursday.
Even in the warm humidity of a Sunday afternoon, residents worked on clearing and burning debris as Montrose Riverfront Inc. prepared to brighten the night skies with their annual 4th of July fireworks celebration.
Montrose City Councilman Kent Rubey walked and talked with neighbors Sunday afternoon among the fallen debris on the city's south side.
Rubey said power hadn’t been restored to much of the town, but they were expecting power to be turned on Sunday as more than six Alliant Energy trucks worked inside the town’s city limits that afternoon.
Tim Adamire, a 33-year-old resident, said he had never seen anything that bad come through Montrose. He was sleeping when the storm came through and said it woke him.
"It took the top off a few trees and took a bunch of limbs off the tree in the alley and on the corner of the property, but no damage to the house," Adamire said.
Some people got damage and some lucked out. His neighbors were also out Sunday surveying the damage of a tree sitting on their garage.
Rubey said insurance companies told him that any tree damage to property would be taken care of, but the debris removal would be at the homeowners' cost.
He said the city is asking residents to get the debris to the right of way and the city workers will eventually pick up any brush left there.
“After the holidays, we’ll start getting stuff taken care, but it’s going to take us some time to clean all this up,” Rubey said.
Most of the community was without power for more than 72 hours.
"We met real quick Thursday and got a plan of action into effect and we’re meeting again on Monday. Hopefully we’ll have power by then," he said.
Rubey said the town opened the fire station to charge oxygen tanks Thursday evening and as a place to just rest. He said as of Saturday the city had most of the streets cleared of debris.
There was talk of canceling Sunday’s annual fireworks display by Mississippi River Inc., but Rubey said people needed to smile a bit.
“Luckily no one was hurt. But this is mostly property damage, mostly trees and debris. If you can get it to the street, we can clean it up.”
About eight Alliant trucks were working Sunday in Montrose and in townships nearby trying to get power lines rehung and power restored. Several areas still had power lines laying on the ground from bent utility poles on Sunday.