Another storm sets back recovery effort in Wadena

In some Wadena area neighborhoods, it was hard to tell where the June 17 tornado damage ended and last Wednesday morning’s storm debris began.

The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Otter Tail County and Wadena County on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, respectively. This followed Wadena County’s brief tornado warning on Saturday, July 10. Damage from the Wednesday morning wind storm complicated the existing cleanup efforts after the June 17 EF4 tornado.

Moench Body Shop on Minnesota Highway 29 southwest of Wadena sustained the most visible damage. The gusting winds ripped shreds off the metal roof, snowed pieces of insulation around the property, and chucked a trailer from the auto body grounds to the field across the fence.

The owner, Roman Moench, was on a Michigan fishing trip when the storm hit. His mother and father, Sandy and Ramon Moench, were next door to assess the damage. Strands of the roof were crumpled in their back yard as well as the nearby field.

Neighbors and friends of the Moench family immediately worked to put a makeshift covering over the building’s frame to protect the interior until more permanent repairs can be made. They had completed the temporary roofing by 12:15 p.m.

Residences around Bluffton and the nearby Blacks Grove Park area sustained damage when the storm snapped trees and clawed shingles from homeowners’ roofs. Close to downtown Wadena, the winds were a nuisance, uprooting the Irving Ave. sign and flipping a trampoline.

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