High winds take down trees near Swisher

Winds estimated at 70 mph brought down numerous large tree branches near Swisher early Wednesday.

Much of the damage reported was southwest of the city limits, along Blaine Cemetery Road and Seneca Road NW. Residents there said high winds, rain and lightning moved through a little after 2 a.m.

Wind gusts took down a large branch on a maple tree that grazed a house and damaged gutters at the Craig and Karen Vondracek residence, 1526 Blain Cemetery Road NW. It woke the couple and their son up, and they could hear trees snapping.

"It was pretty spooky," said Austin Vondracek, 22. "It didn't last long."

When the sun rose, they found a 10-year-old elm tree uprooted in the front yard, the top of a pine tree on the lawn and other tree branches down in their windbreak.

Vondracek said said they watched out the window. During one lightning flash, the elm tree was there, but with the second flash, it wasn't.

"They seemed to all break off at the same time," Vondracek said. "I ran. I figured my roof was coming down."

Across the road, the wind took off a large roller door of a machine shed, and flipped the other one up onto the roof, like a bed sheet.

At least two large tree branches topped over Seneca Road NW, where Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative was working.