I've lost count of how many trees I've seen snapped down in Brooten. It was wild. Highway 55 is still blocked with a downed power line as of 1:00 a.m.
On a brighter note, our family garden was battered but I believe it is salvageable for the most part. Other gardens in town did not fare as well.
Power on the newspaper's side of Main Street, Brooten has been out since about 11:30 p.m., and I was fortunate enough to get my computers set up at the Brooten Fire Hall so I can finish the newspaper on time! The wonders of modern technology has allowed me to stay on track!
Speaking of technology...the city of Brooten has multiple downed power lines all over town. Unofficially, there are 15 downed power lines as of 3 a.m. that will cause severe injury or death for anyone who comes into contact with them at just the wrong time.
As of 7 a.m., a huge portion of Brooten has no power. I am happy to report that the Brooten Bakery and the KaDe Shack have power!!! THAT is very good news for our town as we attempt to clean up.
That's all for now. I will get video posted later this afternoon. Currently I am pushing through what they call an "All Nighter" and have not slept since Tuesday morning.
**By 2:30 p.m., the newspapers were delivered to the Brooten Post Office!!! Success!! This was a huge, huge success.
Here's a video from downtown Brooten as the eye of the storm hit:
The clean up that's taken place in Brooten today has been amazing to witness.