TAOPI — Just a week after the tornado hit Taopi on April 12, things have taken a big step forward for the community.
Mower County Director of Emergency Management Amy Lammey said Tuesday the county is about to end its part of the cleanup, which included bringing infrastructure back online and cleaning city streets. .
“We hope to demobilize today and leave town to do the cosmetic cleaning,” Lammey said.
With final assessments as to the full damage cost still a long way off, the fact that the effort has come this far in a relatively short period of time is an optimistic development.
This is largely because the assets for the cleanup, including the purchase of dumpsters and heavy equipment, have lined up so well.
Mower County Emergency Management Director Amy Lammey provides an update on cleanup efforts in Taopi on Tuesday afternoon. Eric Johnson/[email protected].
“It could have been an aggressive timeline to do this in a week, but I think we got it done,” Lammey said.
At the east end of town, a large wood chipper was powered by heavy machinery as crews chopped down the large piles of trees and branches.
The material spewed out by the wood chipper goes to a good cause as the state grapples with the ongoing bird flu that has struck at the heart of Minnesota’s turkey farms.
Lammey said wood chips will be shipped to affected farms for use in depopulation of affected birds.
“It worked really well,” Lammey said.
Last week, the National Weather Service determined that the tornado that struck Taopi was an EF2 with winds over 130 mph recorded.
Ten houses in Taopi were actually destroyed in the storm and will have to be demolished. Yet the progress made so far is another sign of hope for the community.
“I’m relieved to see the progress we’ve made,” Lammey said. “It helps with the healing process.”
