BUTTE — Cleanup crews in Butte are working to clear debris after a massive windstorm swept through Butte and Southwest Montana on Dec. 17 wind gusts reaching 60 to 70 miles per hour for most of the day. Officials with Butte-Silver Bow County are reporting minimal damage to public property despite the widespread chaos.
"Minimal as far as public works property...there wasn't a whole lot of street or sidewalk damage. We had a few signs that got hit by falling trees...blown off of poles and stuff like that," said Brian Moe, road supervisor for Butte-Silver Bow.
See how emergency services handled 80 calls during the storm
I spoke with Moe as his team wrapped up cleanup efforts after clearing about 30 downed trees from roadways and public property. He said the majority of damage occurred to vehicles, fences, and houses on private property.
"Mostly all private residential stuff that they would have to deal with on their own. Most of their insurance would cover tree removal, or damaged vehicles, fences, those things that happen if a tree came down," Moe said.
Unfrozen ground and high winds created perfect conditions for disaster. The century-old spruce trees found in most Butte neighborhoods have shallow root systems, making them particularly vulnerable.
"Things were able to be uprooted easily and not just break off. So that's why we had a lot more trees down because the ground was able to give and let the tree fall," Moe said.
Butte-Silver Bow police and fire departments were also busy during the windstorm, with assistance from volunteer firefighters, dispatchers, public works, emergency management, B-SB Health Department staff, Parks and Rec staff, and staff from the Butte Civic Center.
Fire Chief Osborne reported that his crews responded to 80 calls, including one fully engulfed vehicle fire and numerous grass fires.
"The windstorm came fast and furious, and he is extremely proud of the way crews handled the stress of the situation," said Chief Osborne in a statement.
Sheriff Ed Lester praised the dispatch center that handled numerous 911 calls throughout the day.
In a statement, he said the windstorm was a pretty crazy event, and he feels for those who suffered property damage, but he is grateful there were no storm-related injuries.
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