People of Eston react to devastating storm

Sunday night, a massive storm ripped through Eston, Saskatchewan.

Plow winds ripped out trees, tore through houses, and overturned power-lines.

J.B. Brown saw considerable damage to his home.

“All my power-lines in the back yard, they all got thrown on top of our houses … my back door’s kicked in,” he told 650 CKOM.

Gary Thompson said the storm was brief, but it didn’t need much time to leave an impact.

“It lasted about 10 minutes, but it was … horrific,” he said. “There was debris flying everywhere, and the hail was bouncing off my car, I could hardly hear anything.”

Wilda Hungerford has lived in Eston for her whole life. She choked up as she described the beginning of the storm.

“First of all, it started to rain and hail really hard … and then really strong winds … and then, you couldn’t see anything,” she said.

The majority of Eston has not had power restored.

Joel Cherry with SaskPower said electric service was not their first concern.

“Our first priority overnight was to make the area safe. (We) wanted to make sure that any damaged lines or downed lines were de-energized,” he said in a news conference.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said there were no injuries or deaths as a result of the storm.

The cost of the property damage is still being estimated.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Chris Vandenbreekel and Dominick Lucyk

Another example of the destruction in Eston's west end. I'm told this used to be a 16-foot tall workshop. Now, only the foundation and some rubble is left. #skstorm pic.twitter.com/xxLiax9wwn

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) July 15, 2019

The roof on the Eston community rink has damage, and power lines are toppled. Crews are starting to chop up downed trees and take them away. #skstorm pic.twitter.com/tDuSwkNNh8

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) July 15, 2019