SALEM, S.D. — A wicked thunderstorm left semis tipped over and forced an evacuation of a nursing home on Thursday in McCook County in the aftermath of severe weather.
In the county's hub city of Salem, downed and uprooted trees filled the city and power lines took out electricity in the community of 1,325 residents. The community's nursing home in the southeast corner of the city had to be evacuated due to storm damage, with residents moved to the town's armory for the short term.
Along South Dakota Highway 38 between Spencer and Salem, a number of homes had severe damage, including grain bins and other agricultural outbuildings, with debris strewn along the roadway for miles, according to Mitchell Republic reporters in the area.
A few miles away on Interstate 90, authorities worked to get a number of damaged semis and high-profile vehicles off the road, with six vehicles damaged in a 15-mile span, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety said.
Multiple high-profile-vehicles have blown over in Southeastern SD - six of them currently blocking I90 between mile marker 364 and 379 near Montrose. A detour has been set up while trucks are cleared from the road. #Sdwx #KeepSDsafe pic.twitter.com/JL7R0dTgBi
— SDPublicSafety (@SDPublicSafety) May 13, 2022
Near Montrose, winds gusted to nearly 80 mph just before 5 p.m, according to a gust reported at a South Dakota State University Mesonet weather station.
ADVERTISEMENT
— Charles Stahl (@charles_stahl) May 13, 2022
Have significant damage to report? Send us pictures and your location to dailynews@mitchellrepublic.com or tag us on Twitter @dailyrepublic.