The storm generated downbursts of winds at more than 70 miles an hour but it was not a tornado, said Dennis Baker, Bell County emergency management coordinator.
“The cleanup of just the debris related to the trees is going to be extraordinary,” said Tim Brown, Precinct 2 commissioner. “The process of getting the material out has just begun.”
By Thursday afternoon most of the roads in the county had been cleared of downed trees. More than 40 roads needed trees removed after the storm, said Tom Berrier, assistant county engineer.
“The majority of roads with trees down had power lines down, too,” he said.
Declaring a local emergency allows county officials to enter into agreements more quickly with businesses to remove brush that is piled up on the side of many roads.
“Because of the extreme nature of the event we’ll contract with somebody to remove the material,” Brown said. “Normally when people have debris on private property, that’s their problem.”
The county will be temporarily placing the debris at the old county landfill west of Holland. The landfill has been closed for more than a decade.
The trees will eventually either be burned or chipped into mulch.
Only contractors hired by the county should haul brush to the landfill. Commissioners encouraged people with property in the county to burn their own brush if it is safe.
“This is an emergency type situation that Bell County is well prepared for,” County Judge Jon Burrows said.
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