Severe storms damage buildings, spark fire in the Sandhills
GORDON, Neb. — A Gordon-area family is cleaning up after strong winds destroyed a shed, uprooted a tree and damaged a barn Friday night.
Mike and Bonnie Strasburger said it sounded like a freight train when the storm rolled through about 35 miles south of Gordon.
“It was a crazy storm,” Bonnie said. “We’re just glad it didn’t hurt anyone, and we didn’t lose any animals.”
The most significant damage was to a building that housed the family’s vehicles.
“It tore the roof off and then dropped it back down on the vehicles,” Bonnie said.
In addition to the high winds, lightning from a separate storm Sunday night caused a grass fire southwest of Valentine. Valentine Fire Chief Terry Engels said the fire burned about five acres, and crews were on scene for about an hour.
Preliminary storm reports from the National Weather Service also indicate golf ball-sized hail fell around Ainsworth on Sunday night, with quarter-sized hail reported northeast of Ellsworth.
