High winds knock out power to thousands

Severe thunderstorms carrying heavy winds and rain caused problems across parts of Iowa this morning. High winds uprooted trees that tore down 12 power lines — leaving half the town of Redfield without electricity. Alliant Energy spokesman John Ruff says 200 customers were without power in Redfield. Ruff says another 500 people were without power in Guthrie Center. MidAmerican Energy spokesman Kevin Waetke says 20-thousand of his company’s customers are also without power.In one case a high-voltage power pole was toppled and took two other poles with it. Waetke says the damage to power poles shows the force of the storms.He says some people could be in the dark for awhile.They’ll be working on repairing the damage through the night and it could be morning before all the power is restored. There are reports that six to eight inches of rain fell in Cromwell near the Adams and Union County line. The heavy rain caused flooding and the closing of several roads.