Traffic in downtown Douglas came to a near crawl Wednesday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm moved through the area wreaking havoc on the city’s streets.
Around 5:30 p.m., a storm traveling north hit the Douglas area causing extensive damage primarily on the city’s north end. Debris was strewn along several of the town’s most heavily-traveled streets including N. Peterson Ave., N. Madison Ave., W. Walker St., and W. Ward St.
Fallen trees brought traffic to temporary standstill as emergency crews worked fervently to clear the stricken areas. Approximately 200 Douglas residents experienced power outages as a result of the storm. One of the city longest-standing businesses, “Spirits,” at the corner of N. Peterson and Walker St. was hit especially hard after a majority of the structure’s roof was ripped from the building.
Wednesday’s storm came in the wake of one of the hottest days thus far this season in which heat indices soared above 100 degrees.
Spirits package store at the corner of N. Peterson Ave. and Walker St. sustained severe structural damage following Wednesday’s storm.
Jerry A. Hudson/DouglasNow.com