HAMILTON — Hamilton was hit by a windstorm on the afternoon of Aug. 23, 2024, knocking out power, bringing down trees, and prompting Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf to declare an emergency exists in the city.
One of the hardest hit areas was the Daly Mansion where 100-year-old trees came crashing to the ground.
“No, this is devastating. This is, it's just I'm beginning to hate August with a passion. So a lot of things been happening this month, but this was probably one of the most amazing things that happened” said Daly Mansion groundskeeper Terry Cody.
The thunderstorm that rolled through Hamilton on Friday had consistent winds of 26 mph and gusts of up to 52 mph. Trees fell down onto streets, homes and power lines, creating power disruptions in and around Hamilton.
There were still several hundred Ravalli Electric Co-op members without power as of Saturday afternoon.
“Well, the damage was pretty extensive to the grounds. No damage was done to the building. The man is fully intact. There's no damage that we can see. But and the grounds, the trees, a lot of trees were broken, uprooted. A lot of the damage looks similar to what was up in Missoula," Cody said referencing the July 24, 2024 storm that hit Western Montana.
After Friday night's storm, people have been quick to come together following the storm with people all around town people helping neighbors out and clearing debris.
The Daly Mansion reports it has already received numerous calls from people asking if they need help.
