Governor Scott Walker on Thursday toured the aftermath of a tornado that struck Clark County earlier this week. Tuesday’s EF-2 tornado with winds of up to 130 miles per hour destroyed four homes, damaged nearly two dozen more, and flattened four barns and 15 outbuildings.
At a stop in Chili, Walker said the damage probably will not trigger any major disaster declarations. Walker says it likely will not meet the high threshold the federal government sets, although state assistance is possible. Still, Walker says such determinations would be premature.
Walker says he’s seen communities around the state rally together, following several large storms that have hit this summer.
Walker planned to tour the damage with Clark County Sheriff Greg Herrick and Emergency Management Director Michelle Hartness.
Herrick, who witnessed the tornado firsthand, said they dodged a bullet by avoiding fatalities directly related to the storm. An elderly man in hospice care did die in the aftermath of the storm after he lost power to his oxygen supply.
AUDIO: Gov. Scott Walker (:18)
Paul Knoff, WCCN