State of Emergency
After several days of strong windstorms, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency due to severe weather. Several large semi-trucks were toppled and millions of dollars in damage is possible.
On Monday afternoon, The Utah Department of Transportation tweeted out a warning about high wind gusts over 70 mph. The greatest concern was for canyon mouths along the Wasatch Front. By the next morning, Utah Highway Patrol had to restrict semi travel in several counties after reports came in of large trucks blowing over.
According to the Department of Transportation, by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, more than 36 semis had been toppled by winds across Northern Utah.
Herbert signed the executive order Wednesday morning.
On the governor’s website, Herbert said the declaration was to assist with resources.
“This emergency has impacted residents in several counties. We have seen damage to homes, to critical infrastructures and to the environment,” Herbert said. “Issuing this declaration expedites the use of state resources and federal resources, as they are needed.”
While it is not yet clear how much the windstorm will cost Utahans in repairs, Utah has had several damaging windstorms in the past to get an estimate from. In 2011, a windstorm that affected Davis and Weber county cost over $6.1 million in damages for Davis County alone.
How does this storm fit into Utah weather patterns?
According to KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman, this storm is unique because it is so widespread.
“The 2011 storm was confined to parts of Davis County, mainly, and parts of Weber County — areas we call the ‘wind tunnel’ because they get some strong winds in these eastern winds,” Weyman said. “This one was unusual because of a bigger scale, a big part of Salt Lake County was hit hard, parts of Tooele County, Box Elder County, too.”
Herbert said he was impressed by the people who stepped up to help in this difficult time.
“I am impressed by all the Utahns who are stepping up to clear debris from their homes and neighborhoods. We stand together in our efforts to clean up, rebuild and move forward.”
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