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Second emergency declared in Lyon County

Resolution follows weekend storm damage

Saturday’s severe storms damaged some of the solar arrays outside Lakeview School in Cottonwood. The bent frames of the arrays were visible this week, after damaged solar panels were cleared away.

MARSHALL — For the second time this summer, Lyon County Commissioners declared a state of emergency in response to severe storms. On Tuesday, commissioners passed a declaration, related to wind damage and flash flooding over the weekend.

“That would be the first step in helping these folks get some reimbursement,” said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg. While the county looked like it would qualify for state assistance, it would not meet the eligibility threshold for federal assistance for individual property owners, Stomberg said.

“I just visited with our emergency manager and it sounds like there’s enough property damage, I think it was at Lakeview School, that it would be worth declaring a state of emergency,” Stomberg said at Tuesday’s county board meeting. “She’s still getting information in from the townships, where it’s damaged the roads,” he said. “We won’t have a good handle on that until the waters recede some more.”

Over the weekend, Lyon County Emergency Manager Emily Coequyt said reports of damage from Saturday’s windstorms included damage to solar arrays outside Lakeview School in Cottonwood, and damage to outdoor equipment at Marshall Public Schools. MPS Director of Operations Tricia Stelter said a small portion of siding also came off of Southview Elementary.

Lakeview Superintendent Chris Fenske told the Independent that three of the 10 solar arrays outside the school were damaged by high winds during Saturday’s storms. The damage occurred shortly after 5 a.m., when the solar arrays were in a fixed position for the night, Fenske said.

While damaged solar panels had been cleared away from the arrays by Tuesday, the bent frames of the damaged arrays could still be seen.

Fenske said Lakeview School could still use the seven other solar arrays that weren’t damaged by the storm. At this point, he said, it wasn’t known how soon the school district could repair the arrays, or what the cost might be.

“Our first step is to get an estimate of what the repair would be,” Fenske said. The district had a high deductible for wind damage, he said.

The storm also caused damage to part of a skylight over the school’s cafeteria. “It lifted it up, so some water was able to get in,” Fenske said. Fortunately, the floor underneath the skylight was finished concrete, he said. “Our maintenance crew got the water out.”

Fenske said the skylight had been temporarily repaired, and there shouldn’t be disruptions as classes start at Lakeview today.

Commissioners asked whether the county’s previous emergency declaration after severe rains in July helped affected residents. Stomberg said storm damage in Lyon County met the threshold for state assistance, but not the federal threshold that would allow for individual assistance.

Commissioners voted to approve a resolution declaring a state of emergency for Lyon County.

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