Castlewood School badly damaged by tornado; Noem declares state of emergency

The school in Castlewood was badly damaged when a tornado rolled through the Hamlin County town Thursday evening.

The roof of the school was ripped off and walls are down with debris scattered around the school grounds.

Castlewood High School sophomore Erowyn Funge lives across the street from the school. She said that worst part of the storm lasted about 30 minutes.

"Our table went flying off our porch. It looked completely black outside," said Funge. "I guess school is done for the year." 

The Hamlin school board has scheduled a special meeting at 8 a.m. Saturday to discuss how to proceed.

Storm coverage:Emergency managers swarming to assess storm damage in multiple South Dakota counties

Uprooted trees, branches and debris were scattered around town Thursday night. Power had been knocked out, and power lines were down in and around Castlewood, including across roads and highways leading to town.

The tornado touched down in Castlewood at 5:53 p.m., said  Kari Fleegel, a meteorologist with the NWS office in Aberdeen. 

Noem confirms fatality, declares state of emergency

Gov. Kristi Noem visited with Castlewood residents Thursday night. She said there had been at least one fatality from the storm, but didn't say where. Others were injured, she said.

The person who died was in Sioux Falls, said Sioux Falls Emergency Manager Regan Smith.

Because of the storm's wide-ranging damage, Noem ordered a state of emergency Friday morning. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Emergency Management has opened an emergency operations center to coordinate the response with local government authorities, according to a news release from the governor's office.

Members of the National Guard were on hand Thursday night to help people get in and out of Castlewood safely, Noem said.

Several homes were also damaged in Castlewood, according to the National Weather Service.

During her visit, Noem said the state had made arrangements for those who had damaged homes to spend the night at hotels in Watertown. There was no reason to think residents wouldn't be allowed back in their homes, she said, it was just an opportunity to get a good night's sleep. It also gave responders a chance to assess the damage to homes.

Volunteer firefighters were ready to accompany residents into their homes to gather the items they needed for the night, she said.

A worker at the nursing home in Castlewood said the facility was without power Thursday evening and arrangements were being made to accommodate residents on oxygen.

'It was like a freight train'

Brenda Boyd is one of the Castlewood residents whose home was damaged by the tornado.

"It was like a freight train," she said. "Then, my ears pop and bang! It hit! It blasted all the glass out of our windows."

Boyd's roof and garage were also damaged.

Noem said people should visit with their insurance providers about personal property damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency helps with public infrastructure, she said.

From Castlewood, Noem was headed to Arlington, where more storm damage was reported.

The weather turned severe late Thursday afternoon, particularly in the area from near Watertown to Sioux Falls. There was considerable damage in the Brookings area, including to homes, and in Freeman and Sioux Falls.

The NWS received a report that a house was destroyed about 7 miles southeast of Florence in Codington County, Fleegel said. A team was going to survey the damage to determine if it was caused by straight line or rotating winds, she said.

Also in Codington County, the Waverly Steakhouse was damaged and will be closed until further notice, according to a Facebook post by the business. The bar and kitchen were exposed with water leaking into them, but plans are for the steakhouse to rebuild, per the Facebook post.

Worst of the weather skirts Aberdeen

A thunderstorm passed through Aberdeen early Thursday evening, but there were no reports of serious damage.

Aberdeen received 0.72 inches of rain Thursday from showers in the morning and evening, said NWS meteorologist Travis Tarver.

The most rain was recorded in Clark County, which had 1.06 inches of rain the 24-hour period ending Friday morning, he said. Most places in the region had about an inch of rain or less because of how quickly the storm was moving, Tarver said.

A tornado also briefly touched down about 5 miles east-southeast of New Effington in Roberts Count around 6:50 p.m., Fleegel said. As of Friday morning, there were no reports of any injuries, Tarver said.  

The Watertown area saw some damage, with reports of tree and power lines down about 2 miles north of the airport, Fleegel said. About 1 mile west of Watertown, there was a report of a damaged buildings around 6:10 p.m. The highest wind gust at the Watertown airport was 76 mph, she said.

Thursday night, the Watertown Police Department asked people to avoid unnecessary travel around Lake Kampeska because downed power lines and trees were causing hazardous conditions.

In Deuel County, the NWS took a report that a house and shed near Gary were damaged and a semi overturned in the home's driveway, Fleegel said. That was shortly after 6 p.m.

The strongest reported wind gust in the region was 102 mph about a mile west northwest of the Lake Cochrane Recreation area near Gary. That was at 5:50 p.m., Fleegel said.

Thousands in southeastern South Dakota lose power

More than 25,000 people were without power across southeastern South Dakota Thursday night, including as far north as Hamlin County.

More than 4,500 South Dakota Rural Electric members were without power in Minnehaha County, and more than 2,600 members were without power in Brookings County. More than 2,100 Lake County members were also without power.

There were more than 8,700 Xcel customers in Sioux Falls without power Thursday night. More than 4,500 Sioux Valley customers in Minnehaha County also lost power.

Nearly 2,600 Sioux Valley Energy Energy customers in Brookings County also lost power during the storm.