Officials with the Arrowhead Electric Coop have help from three electric cooperatives and private contractors, but say rural customers should expect an extended outage. Arrowhead Electric's Rhonda Silence calls it the most extensive storm damage in recent history. Charlotte Eckroot Nelson operates the Windigo Lodge on Poplar Lake, about halfway up the Gunflint Trail from Grand Marais. Nelson has been without power since Sunday. The rain came right in, we got them boarded up.
Trees everywhere are down.
The wind was very very severe. I wouldn't call it a tornado. I didn't see any funnel cloud at all, but it was very intense wind. Very, very strong. I've heard people comment it was like 100 miles per hour.