BROKEN BOW – The City of Broken Bow was without power for more than two hours Tuesday evening after a powerful storm moved through the area.
City Administrator David Schmidt said the storm tore the roof off a metal building along 5th Avenue and blew debris into transmission lines next to a neighboring substation.
City crews spent the evening clearing the debris and rerouting power. 5th Avenue will remain closed between South B Street and South C Street until cleanup can be completed on Wednesday.
Around 10:45 p.m. Schmidt said power had been fully restored. Anyone in Broken Bow still without power should report it by calling 308-872-6424.
A tornado warning was issued shortly before 7 p.m. after a storm chaser reported a confirmed tornado about three miles southeast of Merna. The storm passed directly over Broken Bow, but it appears the damage was caused by straight line winds rather than another tornado.
In addition to strong winds much of Custer County saw periods of heavy rain as well as some hail.
Region 26 Emergency Management reported that the same storm caused some damage in Blaine County earlier in the evening, including a broken transformer pole and a cattle truck blown over near Brewster.
