Gilpin County Hit Hard By Strong Wind Gusts
GILPIN COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Gilpin County was hit hard by strong winds on Sunday. United power says up to 1,500 homes lost power overnight, many of them in Golden Gate Canyon and near Rollinsville.
The high winds caused unexpected destruction. It ripped roofs off buildings, blew fences out of the ground and caused windows to burst.
"The wind was so powerful that all the glass was shaking," a Georgetown resident said.
"We found a window broken. We found two sections of our fence leaning up against the house," Sylvia Lears said.
In Georgetown wind punched through car windows. Thousands of residents in several counties lost power completely.
"It just sounded like the rooms were collapsing, almost," a resident said.
"We were seeing gusts in excess of 80 to 90 miles per hour," Brett Thomas with United Power said.
Thomas worked 26 hours straight trying to restore power in Gilpin County. In 12 years he can't recall a worse wind storm.
"We've got pictures of just huge trees uprooted," Thomas said.
Finishing the job has been a struggle. Crews have to climb steep inclines to get to lines damaged by fallen trees.
"It's been hectic. The winds up here have been unreal," Thomas said.
