Wisconsin County’s Initial Tornado Damage Estimate: $10M

May 25, 2017

The Barron County Sheriff’s Department has released initial damage estimates from a tornado that tore through the Chetek area of northwestern Wisconsin last week.

The department said Sunday that the storm damaged 231 homes and four commercial properties across the county, though those numbers are likely to change. The storm caused about $10 million in damages, not including damage to trees. That includes $5 million to personal property and the rest to commercial property.

One man was killed and about two dozen others were injured when the twister struck in the evening on May 16.

The Chetek Chamber of Commerce says it’ll continue providing services as long as they have volunteers and a need. It is looking for people to do physical labor such as raking and excavating, food preparation and delivery, office work and other tasks.