High Winds Maul Main Street

The weatherman was on target with his call for strong winds in southeastern Colorado Tuesday, February 28. Winds in excess of 50mph were whipping up the usual tumbleweeds, but some business signs and businesses along Main Street in Lamar didn’t fare very well.

The Car Palace on North Main Street lost a four foot by four foot window. Owner Bill Wootten said, “The window just started buckling under the wind pressure until it reached its breaking point, and then shattered all over the floor.” An identical window only several feet away, also on the west side of the building snapped from it’s bottom support, and was blown almost horizontal to the ground, held in place by just a couple of bolts in the framework. It was secured in place by a couple of 2 by 4’s hammered into the framework. A top window also cracked under the wind pressure and will have to be replaced. No one was injured by the broken glass.

Just next door, the winds cracked the southern facing Subway sandwich shop sign and just up the road, the Roadway sign on the Cow Palace Inn marquee was starting to tear at its edges. The bookstore on south Main Street also had its sign damaged.

There was the usual jumble and tumble of empty or near empty dumpsters rolling around the streets and alleyways until homeowners were able to put them into place once the winds had died down. A number of homeowners around the town were taking a headcount of lost or broken roof shingles that will have to be replaced.

Photo by Russ Baldwin

By Russ Baldwin