NEWS
Tornado recovery goes slow; community reflects on rebuilding one year later
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Devastating, heartbreaking, shocking are just a few of the words used by Bowie residents to describe the aftermath of the May 22, 2020 tornado.
At 8:29 p.m. as storm sirens blared across the city an EF-1 tornado ripped a path of destruction across Bowie. It arrived in the midst of heavy rain, straight-line winds and hail.
Funnel clouds were reported all around the area from Bellevue to Jack County. Blue lightning filled the skies followed by an eerie quiet and the sound of a freight train, many now know was the tornado.
The National Weather Service said the tornado had winds up to 95 mph and straight-line winds were tracked at 70-85 mph during the storm.
It appeared the tornado took a path along West Wise Street and traveled into downtown before swinging to the south side pulling the roof from the school administration building, turning numerous mobile homes into kindling or moving it across the street, taking down blocks of power poles and ripping off roofs.
Initially, there were 400 to 500 power poles impacted, about 50 businesses were damaged and more than 200 residents had different levels of damage. As the area was surveyed in the following weeks the numbers rose with 570 total properties affected, 468 residences and 102 businesses.
Read the full feature in the weekend Bowie News.
City of Bowie officials were on hand to inspect the emergency electrical generators that were delivered last week.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris and City Manager Bert Cunningham inspected one of three emergency electrical generators purchased as part of an ongoing Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant. They also talked with Jay Evans, head of the city electric department, and Jerry Sutton, director of the water treatment plant about the next step for installation of the generators.
This grant provides funding for one 150 kW and two 250 kW generators for use at the water treatment plant.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
City Manager Bert Cunningham and Mayor Gaylynn Burris talk with the electric and water department staff about the new generators. (Photo by Cindy Roller)
No action was taken on a legal issue after members of the Bowie City Council met in a called closed session at 4 p.m. on July 12.
City Secretary Sandy Page said the council met for almost one hour for “consultation with attorney – Midwest Waste Services LLC vs. City of Bowie.
This lawsuit goes back to August 2019 when Midwest sued the city for its action requiring those who receive city water outside the city limits to use the designated waste collector, which is Waste Connections. This was shortly after the city signed a new long-term contract with WC.
The suit was dismissed in June 2020 on two points in the suit, but City Manager Bert Cunningham said a third point remained in mediation.
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