Deadly Dust Storms Move Across West Plains

Clean up continues after ravaging dust storms


DEROSA, EAST DESCHIRE--Citizens and businesses in central East Deschire are cleaning up after a round of dust and wind storms battered the region Wednesday.

Reports of uprooted trees, downed power lines, and roofs being blown off homes have been confirmed, according to the National Weather Observancy Center.

WDER-TV, a GNN affiliate, was also reporting a city bus had been tipped over by the strong winds, which reached gusts of 85 mph, according to the NWOC.

The East Deschire Department of Transportation confirmed to the NPF that National Route 15, between Derosa and Freelan, had been shut down due to poor visibility, as had NR-4, between Derosa and Bridgeworth.

One man was killed when a tree fell on his house. An elderly woman was also killed walking down a street when a power line fell.

Captain Chuck Dearsey of the Derosa City Fire Department told the NPF the department extinguished seven fires within the city over a span of two hours. At least another 11 fires resulted in nearby areas due to the intense heat and wind.

Derosa, the state capitol, appeared to have been hit hardest by the violent storms, and Mayor Sara Fraser declared a state of emergency. She also asked Governor Lynn DeMont to declare Derosa and surrounding areas a disaster area, which would free up federal funding for clean-up.

A spokesman for DeMont said the governor will tour the damaged counties this week and then make a final decision.

The storms moved quickly, crossing central East Deschire into western Ceona, where they lost a significant amount of strength upon hitting the Skokie Mountains.

Reports of a tornado about 70 miles south of Derosa have not been confirmed by the NWOC, but are being investigated.