Cd'A city officials release statement on storm aftermath

The City of Coeur d’Alene has crews assessing damages this morning from the powerful windstorm experienced last night in our region, states a press release sent out a short time ago. 

Mayor Steve Widmyer noted “Police and Fire crews worked throughout the night and will continue to work with street crews first thing this morningcleaning up after the biggest storm we have had in decades”.

Police Chief Lee White said police and fire units responded to over 800 calls for service in the city and county. “This was a challenging incident because of the scope of the incident and the volume of calls, but I was impressed with the manner in which our men and women in uniform handled the crisis and worked cooperatively to protect our community.” said White.

City Street Superintendent Tim Martin said the priorities this morning for city crews is to open at least one lane in every roadway affected. Three crews are currently on duty and addressing high traffic areas first.

“We are working with Avista crews and still finding power lines down that need to be dealt with first, but hope to have the entire city cleaned up by the weekend” said Martin.

One high traffic area still affected by trees in the roadway is Lunceford Ave between 4th and 15th St.

Deputy Fire Chief Glen Lauper said Fire Department personnel are assisting in assessing damages and prioritizing repairs. All crews are also available to respond to regular calls for service.

The Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management will be providing a more detailed assessment of the storm later today.