Cleanup and restoration efforts underway in Bemidji even as tornado watch issued

Crews worked around the clock over the weekend to restore power to Bemidji and surrounding areas after an intense storm Friday, but thousands of people could be without power for up to a week with additional extreme weather possible Sunday.

Beltrami Electric Cooperative and Otter Tail Power Co. estimated 27,000 homes and businesses lost power after hurricane-force winds caused widespread outages. The Beltrami Electric Co-op said 19,400 members were without power Saturday, but that number dropped to 4,000 by Sunday. Otter Tail Power, which provides electricity to Bemidji, said 11,000 customers were in the dark as it focused on restoring power downtown Sunday.

“We’ve never seen devastation like this,” said Angela Lyseng, a spokeswoman with the Beltrami Electric Co-op.

A tornado watch was issued for the area until 10 p.m. Sunday, according to Beltrami County Emergency Management.

It may take some customers a week to get power restored, emergency management said.

Some sites in Bemidji are back up and running, such as to the south, where Lueken’s Village Foods grocery store announced it was open for business Sunday.

Still, it will take days to turn on the lights at many homes in Beltrami County after the storm packing 100-mile-per-hour winds downed trees and transformers in parts of northern Minnesota over the weekend. The storm, which began Friday and intensified overnight, caused widespread devastation across parts of Minnesota and North Dakota, where a tornado killed at least three people near a town southwest of Fargo.

The National Weather Service determined that a tornado did not touch down in Bemidji, but wind speeds topped 120 miles per hour. That’s the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.

Crews do not have estimated timelines for when exact areas will be restored. Updates are provided on outage maps for Otter Tail and Beltrami Electric.

Bemidji declared a state of emergency on Saturday, with the mayor calling it the most damaging storm to ever hit the city.

In the immediate aftermath Saturday, the priority was restoring power at the Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, which had a backup generator system kick in when the city lost power.

Firefighters made runs to senior living apartments to provide supplies to residents who lacked operable elevators. Donations poured into the Red Cross station set up inside the Sanford Center that is serving as an overnight shelter and providing food, water and essentials like diapers and baby formula to those in need.

Lyseng said rural communities around Bemidji, such as Tenstrike and Turtle River, will take longer to restore. The co-op has recruited linemen crews from Roseau, Big Fork and Hallock to help the co-op’s team of 20 linemen, who are working 16-hour shifts in dangerous conditions.

“There’s a lot of safety concerns around the cleanup,” Lyseng said. “We want everybody to stay safe. We don’t want any injuries.”

Crews are navigating thousands of downed trees, but Lyseng said no injuries have been reported. She stressed to homeowners who are clearing debris to be mindful of live wires and to contact Gopher State One Call (dial 811) to locate lines before handling uprooted trees that can be tangled with power lines.

Beltrami County Emergency Management said Sunday that people should “be vigilant as you clear trees and be aware of the potential for damaged trees to fall.”

Streetlights still are out in Bemidji, and emergency management officials told drivers to be careful moving around in town.

With temperatures nearing 90 degrees and strong winds in the forecast Sunday, officials urged additional caution. Thunderstorms with the potential for large hail and destructive winds were predicted Sunday night in addition to the tornado watch.

Many stores and restaurants have been closed without power. But Lyseng said when she drove through town Sunday and saw McDonald’s open, the drive-thru line stretched down Bemidji Avenue. Target reopened, and Walmart is donating a truckload of supplies to the Red Cross emergency station at the Sanford Center.

On a good day, she said a crew of four linemen can replace a power pole in four hours. Dozens of poles are down in catastrophic conditions, which is why it could take days and even weeks to fully restore power.

The crews and volunteers who are out working also are without power.

“They went home last night, hot and sweaty, to a house with no power,” Lyseng said. “Their families are trying to do cleanup with their own homes, and they’re not able to be there. So it’s definitely a challenging situation for everyone.”