No Major Damage Or Injuries Reported From Today’s Storms

As tornado sirens sounded in several Monroe County communities, residents took shelter from fast-moving thunderstorms with reports of associated tornadoes heading across the Mississippi River. As of 5 p.m., with the tornado warnings expiring, residents are assessing the damage and finding very little.

“We need to consider ourselves very lucky this time,” said Gene Henckler, Monroe County’s emergency management director.

There were several unconfirmed reports of tornado touchdowns around at 3:45 p.m. near Foster Pond and southern Waterloo, but no extensive damage or injuries have been reported.

“We’re all safe here,” reported Tom Pape, a resident of Foster Pond. “I looked outside, but didn’t see a tornado.”

Radar also indicated in the area of Fountain a dangerous wall cloud, which can produce severe thunderstorms and is the type of cloud in which most strong tornadoes form, but there were not reports of major damage. Patrons of Fountain Inn were happy to report all was fine there.

There were several reports of utility lines and trees down in the area, but few power or telephone outages have been reported.

Heavy rains associated with the storms have resulted in flooding conditions in low-lying areas, including some rural county roads, and will continue to pose a hazard as the potential for storms continues.

Monroe County is currently under a tornado watch until 7 p.m., a flash flood warning until 7:45 p.m., and a severe weather outlook, which specifies more severe thunderstorms are expected tonight and may pop up throughout the weekend.