Severe weather damages Maquoketa homes and businesses
The scene in Maquoketa showed trees blown over onto houses, debris in the streets and even a roof being blown off of a building, even affecting nearby businesses and apartment complexes.
The roof was part of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in Maquoketa, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting peace, prosperity, and hope. Many involved with the buildings damaged are hoping for the best, to rebuild what they lost.
“It was loud, it was very loud in there,” Secretary Trustee Michael Duhme said. “We couldn’t hear the sirens, and we found that in the back here the roof was gone. A lot of insulation was outside at that point.”
Neighbors around the area went out to help others affected by the storm after it traveled through, and some businesses were hit hard. “It was 70 miles per hour, then the second warning came out for 90 mile per hour winds to our north and to our east,” Maquoketa resident Brett Massey said. “Storm sirens blew, so our law enforcement did a good job of getting those out very quickly. West end of Maquoketa when it first happened was without power. It impacted local businesses that were still open. Gas stations, a couple of retail stores were without power for a while.”
Local business owner came out to help the Eagles Club, with possible restructuring of the building that can be done by the weekend. “There’s been a lot of support,” Duhme said. “We took out what we could last night, it was late when we got out of there. We moved a lot of stuff out.”
“When you live in a tight knit community like this, its sort of like oh man these people are going through something too,” Mississippi Valley Metals owner Steve Kurtzsaid. “It’s sort of like what can we do to reach out and help. That’s pretty much what everyone is doing here.”
“There’s a lot of money that we pour into the community,” Duhme said. “But right now, we just have to take it day by day.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com.
