Hitchcock County storm brings wind, 1 death

Ten-year-olds Makia Wissink, front, and Annaleah Frizzle are saddened by storm damage to many, many trees in Kittle Park in Stratton, including this "memorial tree" yanked out by its roots. The girls helped other residents pick up branches and twigs in the park Saturday, following winds gusts up to 110 miles an hour and heavy rains Friday evening. (Connie Jo DIscoe/McCook Gazette)

STRATTON, Neb. -- One man lost his life when wind gusts estimated at 100-110 miles an hour struck Stratton, Nebraska, late Friday evening.

Hitchcock County Sheriff D. Bryan Leggott reported this morning that Heath R. Erbert, 38, of Lucas, Kansas, died when very strong wind gusts from a thunderstorm lifted Erbert's fifth-wheel recreational vehicle off the ground and then violently slammed it back to the ground about 9:30 p.m. The RV was parked in a mobile home park at 104 Brenner Street in northwest Stratton.

Nebraska.tv reports that Erbert was in Stratton working for Sandhills Welding in Trenton.

Old-growth cottonwoods that had created a sheltered lane on Railway Street were ripped out and shredded by the winds. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

Stratton village officials and residents continue today to pick up from the storm that ripped and shredded trees and damaged siding on some homes and outbuildings, mostly on the west side of town.

Village superintendent Kevin League said that Pitner Park "was immaculate, now it's a disaster."

League said this morning that despite all the damage throughout the community, the quality of its water was never compromised. League said that electrical power lines went down to the community's wells 8 1/2 miles northwest of town, and he initially asked people to please conserve water until power could be restored.

League said they never lost pressure to the water tower in town, and by mid-morning Saturday, electrical power was back on and, within about 20 minutes, the water tank was full again. "The quality of our water was never, ever an issue," he said this morning, adding that a "boil water" advisory was not needed.

Some electrical customers were without power over the weekend, as power lines came down or tree branches snagged on them as they fell.

The worst tree damage, League said, appears to be on Railway Street, where huge, old-growth cottonwood trees that had created a sheltered lane over the years came crashing down. League said city crews spent Friday night and until about 2 a.m., Saturday, pushing downed trees and branches out of the streets to make them passable.

As far as severe damage to homes, there was none reported. League said, "We got lucky."

A 30-foot Ponderosa pine tree in the city park toppled in the wind, but caused little damage to a shelter and a swing set in its path. League said he saw people helping pick up branches in the park over the weekend, and he hopes to bring in a crew from the Nebraska work ethic camp in McCook to help this week. "It'll all be hand work," league said. "We can't bring in a backhoe or tractor on the grass," drenched by rainfall that measured up to 2.60 inches.

League said a meteorologist from the Goodland, Kansas, weather service told District 15 Emergency manager Pat Gerdes, who toured Stratton with League, that there were straight winds but no evidence of tornado activity or tornado touch-down. League said he wouldn't be surprised if there had been some rotation, as two storms seemed to meet near Stratton and then roar through town.

League said that Stratton may be eligible for state aid and emergency funds to recover from the storm.