Cleanup continues into weekend following storm, tornadoes


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LAYTON — Weekend cleanup from Thursday's violent storm included clearing neighborhood streets and cleaning up massive trees that were snapped in the wind.

Golfers who normally would have been hoping for a final sunny weekend before fall gathered Saturday at Swan Lakes Golf Course in Layton the gather the remains of 100-year-old trees that fell during the storm.

Sheryl Starkey, who manages the course, called the damage "heart wrenching." She marvelled at the size of the crowd that showed up over the weekend to pitch in with the cleanup.

"Look at the support. Sometimes maybe we all need a little slap down to be humbled and say, 'You know, I'm blessed,'" Starkey said.

Among the group was Megan Stuhlman, who has found a safe haven at Swan Lakes. When she was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Stuhlman resolved to spend whatever time she could on the golf course.

"You know when I come out golfing, it just, I don't think about anything else," Stuhlman said. "It's just (a way to) get my mind off everything and have fun."

Stuhlman said she came to help clean up in order to spend time at a place and with people she loves.

"There is always going to be negative, but you just have to look for the good in everything," Stuhlman said.

Volunteers will return to the course Sunday to continue work. Starkey said Swan Lakes staff hopes to re-open for business on Monday.

Thursday's powerful storm dropped two confirmed tornadoes in Utah, one in Washington Terrace and another near Panguitch. Other areas of the state battled fierce winds and heavy rains that knocked out power and damaged homes.

The Weber County tornado left 21 homes uninhabitable — a dozen of which are likely total losses — across Washington Terrace, Riverdale and South Ogden, according to Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Nate Hutchinson. Damages, which were still being totalled Saturday, are expected to be in the millions of dollars.

Starting at daybreak Saturday, volunteers in Washington Terrace began moving street to street cleaning up debris. One volunteer said it seemed like they moved one tree, they would discover three more that needed to be picked up.

The volunteer efforts allowed many people to return to their homes.

Work was expected to continue Sunday as volunteers located downed trees and cut them up to be hauled away to a green fill. Some volunteers said they could use more trucks and trailers. Many neighbors were chopping wood, but the process sometimes slowed down in getting it hauled away.

Rocky Mountain Power crews were also out over the weekend working to restore power to a scattered group of Weber County residents still affected by the widespread damage. The number of households left in the dark after falling trees toppled power poles was in the thousands on Thursday and Friday.

Contributing: McKenzie Romero

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