PAMPANS CONTINUE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, CLEANUP AFTER WEEKEND MICROBURST DAMAGE

AUGUST 7, 2017

PAMPA AREA RESIDENTS AND INSURANCE ADJUSTORS ARE CONTINUING TO ASSESS DAMAGE AFTER A POWERFUL MICROBURST SLAMMED PAMPA SATURDAY NIGHT CAUSING EXTENSIVE PROPERTY DAMAGE.  ROOFS, WINDOWS, FENCES, A WIND TURBINE, TREES, SIGNS AND NUMEROUS POWER POLES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.  THE HAVOC GIVES CLEAR TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF THE MICROBURST. BUILDING MATERIALS OF WOOD AND METAL WERE DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND LIKE MISSILES IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS.  AN ESTIMATED 6,300 XCEL ENERGY CUSTOMERS WERE WITHOUT POWER IN GRAY AND ROBERTS COUNTIES AFTER NUMEROUS POWER LINES WERE BLOWN DOWN.  XCEL CREWS WERE ON SCENE REPAIRING THE DAMAGE THAT INCLUDED THAT TO 40 UTILITY POLES.

NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.  PAMPA RADIO STAFF METEOROLOGIST DARRELL SEHORN SAYS THE MICROBURST PRODUCED 70 MILES PER HOUR WIND AND ORIGINATED FROM AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM.  MUCH OF THE NORTH PART OF PAMPA WAS WITHOUT POWER AFTER THE STORM HIT AT APPROXIMATELY 8 PM SATURDAY NIGHT.  HIGHWAY 70 NORTH OF PAMPA WAS BLOCKED OFF TO THRU TRAFFIC AND A TRAVEL TRAILER IN NORTH PAMPA WAS OVERTURNED.     PAMPA RECEIVED .39 HUNDREDTHS RAIN AS A RESULT OF THE STORM.   DAMAGE REPORTS FROM THE AREA INCLUDE--- WALNUT CREEK ESTATES - TREES DOWN AND LIMBS SCATTERED ABOUT AS WAS THE CASE AT ST VINCENT DE PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH WHERE THE FORMER SCHOOL GYM ALSO SUSTAINED ROOF DAMAGE. MEMORY GARDENS CEMETERY-TREE LIMBS WERE SCATTERED ACROSS THE PROPERTY AND SEVERAL TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN. CORNERSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH AT 23^RD AND PRICE ROAD-SIGN DAMAGE AND CHILDRENS PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT WAS BLOWN OVER. PAMPA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL - THE TOWER OF THE WIND TURBINE THAT PROVIDES PARTIAL POWER TO THE SCHOOL WAS BENT OVER AND THE THREE ROTOR BLADES WERE HURLED HUNDREDS OF FEET ACROSS THE CAMPUS.   PAMPA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DANNY SEABOURN SAYS THE WIND SCREENS ON THE TENNIS COURTS ALSO DAMAGED. PAMPA RADIO GROUP TRANSMITTER FACILITY-DARRELL SEHORN REPORTED THAT THE ROOF WAS PEELED BACK ON THE TRANSMITTER BUILDING.  THE EMERGENCY GENERATOR WAS PRESSED INTO SERVICE WHILE XCEL ENERGY CREWS WORKED TO RESTORE POWER. EASLEY ANIMAL HOSPITAL AT LOOP 171 AND HIGHWAY 70-FRONT PART OF BUILDING DAMAGED.   A METAL STORM SHELTER MOUNTED ON A TRAILER FOR DISPLAY JUST EAST OF EASLEY ANIMAL HOSPITAL WERE OVERTURNED. PAMPA MALL-ROOF DAMAGE AND TREE LIMBS AND OTHER DEBRIS SCATTERED ACROSS THE PARKING LOT LOOP 171 EAST OF PAMPA-GREG CAMPBELL REPORTED THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF A STORAGE TRAILER HOUSE ON HIS PROPERTY. HIDDEN HILLS GOLF COURSE—METAL AND WOODEN STRUCTURAL MATERIALS BLOWN ACROSS THE NUMBER TEN GREEN SCRAPPING AWAY THE SURFACE IN SOME AREAS.  ON THE TEN FAIR WAY WOODEN BUILDING MATERIALS WERE DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND BY THE FORCE OF THE MICROBURST.  THE POLE BARN WAS ALSO BLOWN AWAY AND DEBRIS FROM NEARBY PROPERTY WAS ALSO BLOWN ACROSS AND ONTO THE GOLF COURSE PROPERTY. HIDDEN HILLS WAS CLOSED BECAUSE A DOWNED POWER LINE AND OTHER DAMAGE BUT WAS REOPENED FOR BUSINESS AT NOON SUNDAY. PAMPA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER—COMMUNICATIONS TOWER ON TOP OF THE MAIN BUILDING WAS BLOWN OVER AND THE EMERGENCY ROOM DOORS AND MRI CASING WERE DAMAGED AS WAS THE PENTHOUSE ROOF.   THE FACILITY LOST POWER AND A BACKUP GENERATOR WAS USED AS THE POWER SUPPLY. TREE LIMBS, BRANCHES AND BUILDING MATERIALS INCLUDING THOSE OF METAL AND WOOD SCATTERED ABOUT THE PARKING LOTS AND GROUNDS.