A storm across the eastern part of the state brought severe damage with it. Officials say the community of Hudson, South Dakota is one of the hardest hit.
“Boom! It just smacked the house. And we weren’t sure if it was a tornado or what was going on, but it was real loud for a long time. But it sounded like hail, but I think it was
just debris hitting the side of the house. Tree fell on the house," said Ben Hope, a resident of Hudson, South Dakota, one of the towns hit by a storm that swept through the Midwest. A storm of which Hope said he’s never seen anything like.
He said Monday morning he woke up to loud rain and thunder.
“It was a different Hudson than I’ve ever known: different skyline. Yeah, trees down, absolutely everywhere," said Hope. "It looked like a warzone. Still looks like a warzone.”
But they’re cleaning it up, recognizing it could have been worse.
“We’re safe,” Hope said.
And according to Lincoln County Emergency Manager Harold Timmerman, the damage is widespread.
“Most of the town is affected. There’s some homes that have trees on them, the power’s out for another day or so, possibly. And the power company’s here working as fast as they can," Timmerman said. "And we have several big loaders and heavy equipment working to get trees moved from town to the designated spots for them.”
Timmerman said the cleanup required is extensive.
"You feel sorry for all of the residents and everybody that’s involved here because it’s a traumatic thing for them and it’s going to affect them for a long period of time.”
Hope said as Hudson picks up the damage, it’s been a community effort to move forward.
“The community so far has come together real great. The fire department has been around. They, I mean, immediately after the storm last night going around house to house making sure everyone was safe," Hope said. "They came together already early this morning and had food and water down at the station. But everybody’s helping everybody as much as they can. It just is what it is.”
Officials say a nursing home was evacuated due to the lack of power. The storm knocked down a cell tower near Beresford, making communication difficult.
So far, no injuries have been reported.
The National Weather Service is still working determine whether the damage in Hudson was caused by straight-line winds or a tornado.
