FORADA, Minn. (TAUT) — A suspected tornado tore through the small town of Forada in west-central Minnesota on Monday, leaving a trail of damaged homes and downed trees.
Drone footage captured by TAUT-TV shows extensive damage to homes near Maple Lake. Forada Fire Chief Stephen VanLuik said at least 75 structures were “totalled” or “severely damaged”.
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“To see it all disappear is amazing,” he said.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said power lines and fallen trees at one point blocked all roads leading into the town, located about 10 miles south of Alexandria. Crews have since disabled the downed lines and cleared the debris.
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So far, it is not known if anyone was injured in the storm. The town is home to about 160 people.
“To our knowledge, no one was seriously injured,” VanLuik said.
While weather officials have yet to confirm that the damage in Forada was caused by a tornado, National Weather Service crews are investigating.
Earlier Monday, another tornado was reported near Appleton, about 70 miles southwest of Forada.
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Two waves of severe weather hit Minnesota on Memorial Day, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds. Trees were snapped and uprooted across the state, and downed power lines left thousands of Minnesotans without power.
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