Micro bursts suspected for wide-spread wind damage

Local officials said more than three-quarters of St. Joseph County was without power in the days after last week’s storms.

The estimate was shared by St. Joseph County Emergency Management Director Erin Goff, who addressed county commissioners Tuesday.

At the peak of power outages last week, 78 percent of the county was without electric service, Goff said. As of late Tuesday, fewer than 2,000 residents remained without power, she added.

As a result of the Aug. 14, county-declared state of emergency, there is a chance the county will be eligible for Section 19 funding from the state. Such funding could be allocated to help the county, cities, villages and townships recoup expenses they incurred through cleanup-related actions.

Goff said the National Weather Service suspects straight-line winds, not tornadoes, were responsible for last week’s damage. She indicated there was evidence of “micro bursts” that generated wind speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour.