Crews work to repair storm damage

It was awfully quiet on Princeton’s South Main Street at noon on Monday.

Power outages due to downed power lines kept many downtown Princeton businesses closed Monday, following fierce wind gusts that did a lot of damage to area trees and power lines.

One such business was the Bureau County Metro Center, which closed temporarily Monday once the power went out about 7 a.m.

The Metro Center was forced to cancel morning programs due to the power and phone line losses, but the building remained open to people seeking shelter, a spokesperson said. (The Metro Center is an official American Red Cross storm shelter.) The facility reopened for business at about 10:15 a.m. Monday morning, after power was restored to the building.

Princeton City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said he and Fire Chief Gary Hanna spent the entire morning going street by street throughout town to assess the damage. City electric, street and waste water crews were out in force working to repair power lines, clear the streets and make sure residents didn’t experience problems with their sewer systems.

“Princeton definitely took a significant hit,” Fiegenschuh said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”   

Superintendent Jason Bird is hopeful all electricity should be restored in Princeton within 24 hours, Fiegenschuh said Monday afternoon. City crews are working hard to get things cleaned and back in operation. Mutual aid had been called to help with the clean-up work.

“We’re asking our residents to be patient and we’re also thanking them for staying away from downed power lines and from our electric crews so they can do their work,” Fiegenschuh said.

As far as helping residents with their yard clean-up work, Fiegenschuh said he will direct that issue this morning, Tuesday, with his department heads. One possibility being considered is lifting the burn ban to let residents burn some of the yard waste caused by the storm, Fiegenschuh said.

Though storm damage was received throughout Bureau County, the southern and western portions of the county got hit the hardest from Monday morning’s storm, Bureau County Highway Engineer John Gross said.  

County crews were busy clearing trees and branches from roads throughout the county, Gross said. Indiantown Township Road Commissioner Bill Sears also helped in the Tiskilwa area, with the Tiskilwa/Buda road, Tiskilwa Bottom Road and Kentville Road all heavily hit. The Mineral and Neponset areas also were heavily hit, Gross said.