$20 Million Damage Estimate from Wisconsin Tornado

A tornado that ripped through the town of Ladysmith in Wisconsin’s Rusk County on Labor Day caused an estimated $20 million in damages.

According to a report from the Associated Press local authorities estimated the tornado damaged 130 to 150 buildings, destroyed 26 businesses and at least 17 homes. Although 37 people were treated for injuries ranging from lacerations to broken legs, there were, amazingly enough, no fatalities from the violent storm.

Some 1,000 volunteers are helping residents clean up and begin repairing and rebuilding damaged structures. Insurance adjusters have been on the scene surveying the damages and helping policyholders and others take necessary steps to protect their property from the elements.

Covering holes in roofs and blown out windows will prevent further damage, but it will be several more days before electricity is fully restored.” The tornado tore a path “about 14 blocks long by four blocks wide through Ladysmith, about 120 miles northeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul,” the AP reported. Wind speeds were estimated by the National Weather Service to have exceeded 206 mph in the center of town.