131 km/h wind gusts rip through Moose Jaw

Moose Jaw was battered by 131 kilometre per hour wind gusts. The gusts made the Friendly City the windiest place on the planet on Tuesday night.

Power was knocked out for a vast majority of the city. SaskPower crews were dispatched, but had to be withdrawn due to dangerous conditions created by the wind. Much of the power was back on around 10:30 Wednesday morning.

With power restored, residents are left to clean up after the storm.

Rain Boychuk considers herself incredibly lucky. A large spruce tree beside her South Hill neighbourhood home came crashing down.

“All of a sudden we heard this tree crash, my boyfriend looked through our bedroom window which was right behind the tree, in the basement,” she explained.

“The rest of our family were in that bedroom right there (pointing to a window closest to where the tree stood). I came upstairs, and it was all windy, the kids were freaking out.”

READ MORE: Regina hit hard with wind storm Tuesday night

Thankfully, no one was hurt. The house sustained minor damage, primarily to the roof. Boychuk believes the damage could have been far worse.

“The siding, if this wasn’t brick, the kids and Chelsea (her roommate) would have been just crushed.”

Just north of Moose Jaw, Kelly and Shelley Anaka found their yard in ruin. Three empty grain bins were blown off their bases. Two tumbled into another nearby row of bins, while a third was left upside down several metres away. Twisted pieces of metal litter the yard, and more metal was blown across Highway 2 into a neighbouring field.

Despite the dramatic damage, Kelly took it in stride.

“I guess the winds were the strongest they’ve ever been around here for a while, and it is what it is. They can be replaced,” he said with a shrug.

He estimated the damage is worth over $150,000. Now he just has to deal with insurance. His biggest concern right now is his antique barn.

“My biggest concern now is trying to save the barn. The north wall is giving away on it, the barn now has to be restored,” Kelly said.

READ MORE: Wind warning ended in Saskatchewan

The wind storm created its fair share of issues underground. Seven water main breaks near the Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus in the northwest corner of the city are linked to the storm.

Mayor Fraser Tolmie said that one of the pump stations experienced a power surge, forcing a powerful jet of water through the system, cracking aging infrastructure.

He voiced pride in city crews who quickly got the situation under control.

“We can count our blessings this didn’t happen in the dead of winter,” Tolmie said.

With power restored, Tolmie said the focus is now on the clean-up effort. Blown over signs are a dime a dozen, broken trees and branches can be found in the streets and even a baseball dugout was blown into foul territory.

“We’re hardy and Prairie strong, and that’s just what we deal with,” Tolmie said.