Active Thursday Weather Brings Down Trees, Street Light; Causes Small Fire in Charles City

It was an active weather (Thursday) morning across the region 

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Butler and Black Hawk counties just after 8:30 AM Thursday (06.11). High wind warnings were also issued for Bremer and Black Hawk counties, with winds of 50 to 70 mph.

Strong winds in Charles City knocked out power, a large tree in the northeast corner of Central Park was split in half, and a street light at the intersection of Clark and Main streets was toppled to the sidewalk. Various trees and limbs across town were also blown down.

A Flood Watch is in effect until 10 PM Thursday for Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette and Winneshiek counties, where one-to-four inches of rain have fallen over the last 24 hours, with 3-to-7.5 inches of rain over the past week. Another 1 to 3 inches is also possible for the region.

A Tornado Watch was in effect until 3 PM for Buchanan and Delaware counties, with both counties now under a Flood Watch until 7 PM. 

Among those without power in Charles City Thursday morning included Floyd County Medical Center (FCMC). FCMC said in a social media post that their emergency response procedures were immediately activated, and they were actively working to assess and restore affected systems.

Power has since been restored and FCMC says they are again operating in full capacity in outpatient care spaces.

It was an eventful morning for the hospital, with a fire confirmed on the first floor causing a response by the Charles City Fire Department.

FCMC Chief Operating Officer John Perin says the weather-related power outage led to a small fire involving a battery backup device in the hospital lab. He says it was quickly contained by staff, there were no injuries to patients, visitors, or team members, and hospital operations experienced minimal disruption. 

Perin adds, “We appreciate the prompt response and professionalism of our staff and local emergency responders.”