Stoughton declares state of emergency after tornado, strong winds
STOUGHTON, Wis. — Stoughton Mayor Tim Swadley declared a state of emergency Monday after a tornado and strong winds tore through the area Saturday night.
The city saw straight-line winds with speeds of 80+ miles per hour, and an EF-1 tornado touched down south of the city near Leslie Road in the town of Dunkirk. Nobody was injured during the storm, Swadley said.
RELATED: ‘We knew something was wrong’: Residents recount Stoughton tornado
Less than two days later, several inches of snow covered the debris that remained scattered from the storm, complicating cleanup for James and Callie Amera, whose farm suffered significant damage. That farm has been in their family for around 150 years.
Their family and cattle were unhurt, but cleaning up the damage to their home and outbuildings is going to take time, James Amera said. Despite workforce and supply issues, they’re hoping to rebuild sooner than later.
“(We’re going to be) figuring out what to rebuild and keep farming,” he said. “That’s all you can do. Just keep moving and hopefully we don’t get another one again.”
Their farm has seen its share of storms before. The Ameras pointed out the remnants of a barn on the property destroyed in a storm three decades ago.
During a meeting with Dane County Emergency Management, city officials discussed the events of the storm and decided to declare a state of emergency. The city will also speak with the National Weather Service as to why sirens didn’t go off to alert citizens of the tornado.
City-wide brush collection will begin on March 14. All brush must be put out by 7 a.m. on that day.
Residents who want to haul their own brush can bring it to the city’s yard waste site beginning March 8 through March 13 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. No permit is required.
News 3 Now photojournalist Jim Rader contributed to this report.
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