Severe thunderstorms caused home, roadway and power damage Thursday evening in Cottage Grove.
“Unfortunately it did hit areas of town with a lot of bigger trees,” said Cottage Grove Public Works director Ryan Burfeind.
The Twin Cities National Weather Service office reported that Cottage Grove was “hit with some of the higher amounts of rainfall,” at 3 inches.
Burfeind said in total 136 trees and 17 power lines were down, blocking roadways. Roads were closed due to damage, then reopened near 11 p.m. once cleared from debris.
Thanks to the National Weather Service forecast, Burfeind said that Public Works crews were prepared to manage the damage.
“We had our crews and equipment all ready to go,” Burfeind said.
Burfeind reported that 12 homes were damaged by tree fall, with one home condemned.
The tree damage affected houses in the neighborhoods of Thompson Grove & Thompson Grove Estates, on 80th Street South and Hadley Avenue and East Point Douglas Road South between 80th Street South and Jamaica Avenue. Burfeind said the damage sustained varied based on tree size.
“This week was a tough week, we did have damage from the Monday night storms as well,” Burfeind said.
Residents can leave privately sustained tree debris on the curbside for pick up, which Burfeind said will be an ongoing process throughout the month of September.
Close to 4,000 Xcel Energy customers lost power during the storm, Burfeind said. The utility has crews working on repairs.
Four Washington County mutual aid crews are assisting Public Works staff with cleanup efforts Friday.
“We are anticipating having all of the roads cleared today,” Burfeind said Friday.
Burfeind said he knows to expect the unexpected and looks to National Weather Service for reports.
“It’s Minnesota so come September you hope the weather starts calming down, but we’re always prepared for whatever may come,” Burfeind said.