Moline mayor declares state of emergency

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By Times staff | Monday, July 21, 2008 12:33 PM CDT | () comments

A car slowly makes its way around a fallen tree this morning on 31st Avenue in Rock Island near Illinois 92. (Larry Fisher/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo

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Storm Damage

UPDATED: From the city of Moline: Moline Don Welvaert has declared a state of emergency for the city because of this morning’s storm.

Power is out throughout the city — some areas may be without power for some time.

Residents are advised to stay home and avoid driving if possible. If residents must drive, they are advised not to drive over or under downed power lines. John Deere Road from 16th to 38th streets, and east of 70th Street is closed until further notice because of downed power lines. John Deere Road is open between 38th and 70th streets, but without traffic signals.

Several traffic signals are out throughout the city. Drivers are reminded to exercise caution and that they must stop at every traffic light that is out, as if it were a stop sign.

All city crews are working to remove debris and open main and arterial streets. Once complete, crews will move into residential areas. If power lines are down inside the fallen trees, MidAmerican Energy must take care of downed power lines before city crews will work on trees. To contact MidAmerican, call 1-888-427-5632.

Once the initial response is complete, city crews will begin removing brush and debris from neighborhoods. Residents are asked to pull their limbs and brush to the curb for pick-up by the city at no charge.

Because of the storm, no yard waste or special pick-ups will be conducted today. Garbage collection remains on schedule.

Due to the damage around the Marquis Harbor Marina, Ben Butterworth Parkway is closed in the vicinity of The Captain’s Table and marina. Also closed is the Moline Public Library, the Moline Activity Center and the Green Valley sports complex.

Child dies in storm, thousands without power

EARLIER STORY: A 4-year-old child was killed and an infant was severely injured by severe storms that ripped through the Quad-Cities this morning, and thousands remain without power.

The child was killed when a tree limb fell on the tent the child was sleeping in at a campground in Colona, Ill., a hospital spokesman said.

An 8-month-old child was critically injured, said Craig Cooper, spokesman for Genesis Medical Center. The baby was taken to OSF St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria.

The children were with their family at Indian Trails Resort. They were brought to Genesis Medical Center, Illini Campus, Silvis.

Three other children received minor injuries, Cooper said.

Thousands of homes in the Quad-Cities remain without power. Traffic lights on the hill in Moline and Rock Island are not working, and most stores were unable to open including SouthPark Mall in Moline, which will be closed today because of the storm.

The storm system created a 60-mile-wide path of destruction, starting out in Omaha and pushing through to Chicago, said Linda Engebretson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “It’s something we call a ‘derecho,’ which is a Spanish word for straight ahead,” she said.

The most severe damage appears to be on the Illinois side of the river, she said. Muscatine, Iowa, also had significant damage.

“You can see very tornado-like damage. But because of the damage pattern, it’s straight-line winds. It’s a very extreme system that causes a lot of damage,” she said.

In Moline, a semi-trailer flipped over on Interstate 74 near the John Deere Road exit, causing traffic problems in that area. Also, in the area near Avenue of the Cities, several trees and power lines are down.

Moline police Capt. Doug Burke said traffic is backed up in both directions on John Deere Expressway due to downed power lines at the 16th Street intersection. He said lines and tree limbs are down throughout the city.

“It’s significant,” he said of the damage. “We have a large number of trees down. Pretty much not much of the city got spared.”

Burke said city crews are cutting limbs and clearing roads.

“We’re hoping once we get the roads clear, MidAmerican can come along and take care of the power lines,” he said.

Until the roads can be cleared Burke asked residents to limit their driving.

“If you don’t need to go out, don’t,” he said.

There was one report of a tornado spotted about 6 a.m. in Milan, Ill., by a police officer.

David Sheets of the National Weather Service said wind gusts of 91 mph were reported at the Quad-City International Airport in Moline at 6:15 a.m. The windstorm was about 10 miles wide with the brunt of the storm hitting the Illinois side of the Quad-Cities, he said.

Moline received about .75 inches of rain in less than an hour, Sheets said. Rainfall amounts in the region ranged from from half an inch to 1 inch.

Numerous trees limbs and power lines were blown down and were blocking roads around the Quad-Cities. Fire and police crews are busy responding to calls of lightning strikes and several structure fires.

According to MidAmerican Energy’s Web site, more than 118,000 homes in the area were without power as of 9 a.m.

In Rock Island, downed branches littered the lawn of the Rock Island County Courthouse. Parts of the courthouse roof also were torn off.

Lt. William Kauzlarich of the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department said the Rock Island County Courthouse is open despite wind damage to its roof. He said power is out on the third and fourth floors due to internal problems. The fourth floor includes the state’s attorney’s office.

He said court is not closed, but some employees are running late and things are running slow.

He said employees are still assessing damages to the roof.

Traffic on 11th Street around 7th Avenue is being detoured as crews clear trees off the road.

In west Rock Island, downed branches were seen at Sunset Marina and several utility poles were reported down on 31st Avenue.

Numerous huge, old trees were downed in Moline’s Prospect Park near 16th Street and 35th Avenue, blocking access to and from nearby neighborhoods. Power lines were pulled from houses.

Residents came out of their houses, some still in their bedclothes, to survey damage. Many found downed trees blocking roads and fallen onto rooftops.

Kauzlarich said the Andalusia and Taylor Ridge, Ill., areas were particularly hard hit by the storm.

“There is a lot of damage to houses,” he said. “Trees have either fallen on them” or there is wind damage.

Kauzlarich said the sheriff’s department is running several calls behind and is still checking on damage reports.

He said one man, who stopped his truck near Andalusia as the storm approached, had a tree fall on his vehicle. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance, but it didn’t appear his injuries were serious.

A spokesman for the Moline Police Department said that as of about 7:15 a.m., there were no reports of injuries. Traffic lights remained out in downtown Moline at 8:45 a.m.

Traffic lights in Bettendorf at State Street and I-74 and Grant Street and I-74 also were reported out as were lights in parts of downtown Davenport.

In Davenport, crews are working to clear downed limbs and power lines, which caused traffic lights to go out. However, Capt. David Struckman said people “were doing a very good job of being courteous to one another without any visible traffic control.”

About half the homes in Muscatine were without power at 8 a.m. Gary Weiskamp of Muscatine Power and Water Co. says 6,200 homes were without power. Crews are working to repair downed poles on Iowa 38 and the utility’s two substations.

In Iowa, Camp Abe Lincoln in Buffalo was without power, canceling day camp programs. Other branches of the Scott County Family YMCA were trying to accommodate children in other daycare programs.

Monday’s gale-force winds left minimal impact on communities up river of the metro Quad-City Area.

John Riches, spokesman for Alcoa Davenport Works, reported that the power was on and the plant was functioning as usual in Riverdale, Iowa.

Farther up the river, LeClaire received minimal impact from the storm and residents and businesses had access to telephone service and electricity according to Sgt. Todd Johnson, LeClaire Police Department.

The town of Princeton, Iowa, also fared well after the storm, according to City Clerk Karen Thomson. “We’re fine. We didn’t get hit,” she said.

Watch for more details on qctimes.com as they become available. Tell us about your storm damage by adding your comments to the end of this story.

Illinois Q-C particularly hard-hit in storm

EARLIER STORY: Thousands of homes in the Quad-Cities remain without power as the result of severe thunderstorms that hit in the early morning hours.

Traffic lights on the hill in Moline and Rock Island are not working, and most stores were unable to open including Southpark Mall in Moline, which will be closed today because of the storm.

In Moline, a semi-trailer flipped over on Interstate 74 near the John Deere Road exit, causing traffic problems in that area. Also, in the area near Avenue of the Cities, several trees and power lines are down.

Moline police Capt. Doug Burke said traffic is backed up in both directions on John Deere Expressway due to downed power lines at the 16th Street intersection. He said lines and tree limbs are down throughout the city.

“It’s significant,” he said of the damage. “We have a large number of trees down. Pretty much not much of the city got spared.”

Burke said city crews are cutting limbs and clearing roads.

“We’re hoping once we get the roads clear, MidAmerican can come along and take care of the power lines,” he said.

Until the roads can be cleared Burke asked residents to limit their driving.

“If you don’t need to go out, don’t,” he said.

There was one report of a tornado spotted around 6 a.m. in Milan by a police officer.

David Sheets of the National Weather Service said wind gusts of 91 mph were reported at the Quad-City International Airport in Moline at 6:15 a.m. The windstorm was about 10 miles wide with the brunt of the storm hitting the Illinois side of the Quad-Cities, he said.

Moline received about .75 inches of rain in less than an hour, Sheets said. Rainfall amounts in the region ranged from from half an inch to 1 inch.

Numerous trees limbs and power lines were blown down and were blocking roads around the Quad-Cities. Fire and police crews are busy responding to calls of lightning strikes and several structure fires.

According to MidAmerican Energy’s Web site, more than 118,000 homes in the area were without power as of 9 a.m.

In Rock Island, downed branches littered the lawn of the Rock Island County Courthouse. Parts of the courthouse roof also were torn off.

Traffic on 11th Street around 7th Avenue is being detoured as crews clear trees off the road.

In west Rock Island, downed branches were seen at Sunset Marina and several utility poles were reported down on 31st Avenue.

Numerous huge, old trees were downed in Moline’s Prospect Park near 16th Street and 35th Avenue, blocking access to and from nearby neighborhoods. Power lines were pulled from houses.

Residents came out of their houses, some still in their bedclothes, to survey damage. Many found downed trees blocking roads and fallen onto rooftops.

Lt. William Kauzlarich of the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department said the Andalusia and Taylor Ridge, Ill., areas were particularly hard hit by the storm.

“There is a lot of damage to houses,” he said. “Trees have either fallen on them” or there is wind damage.

Kauzlarich said the sheriff’s department is running several calls behind and is still checking on damage reports.

He said one man, who stopped his truck near Andalusia as the storm approached, had a tree fall on his vehicle. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance, but it didn’t appear his injuries were serious.

A spokesman for the Moline Police Department said that as of about 7:15 a.m., there were no reports of injuries. Traffic lights remained out in downtown Moline at 8:45 a.m.

Traffic lights in Bettendorf at State Street and I-74 and Grant Street and I-74 also were reported out as were lights in parts of downtown Davenport.

In Davenport, crews are working to clear downed limbs and power lines, which caused traffic lights to go out. However, Capt. David Struckman said people “were doing a very good job of being courteous to one another without any visible traffic control.”

About half the homes in Muscatine were without power at 8 a.m. Gary Weiskamp of Muscatine Power and Water Co. says 6,200 homes were without power. Crews are working to repair downed poles on Iowa 38 and the utility’s two substations.

In Iowa, Camp Abe Lincoln in Buffalo was without power, canceling day camp programs. Other branches of the Scott County Family YMCA were trying to accommodate children in other daycare programs.

Monday’s gale-force winds left minimal impact on communities up river of the metro Quad-City Area.

John Riches, spokesman for Alcoa Davenport Works, reported that the power was on and the plant was functioning as usual in Riverdale, Iowa.

Farther up the river, LeClaire received minimal impact from the storm and residents and businesses had access to telephone service and electricity according to Sgt. Todd Johnson, LeClaire Police Department.

The town of Princeton, Iowa, also fared well after the storm, according to City Clerk Karen Thomson. “We’re fine. We didn’t get hit,” she said.

Watch for more details on qctimes.com as they become available. Tell us about your storm damage by adding your comments to the end of this story.

READER PHOTOS: See the damage and share your photos, too.