Woodbury County declared disaster area after storms

Sioux City got smacked by the weather at about 7:30 this morning. By noon, Sioux City Mayor Marty Dougherty had declared a state of emergency to help the area get some state resources.Assistant fire chief Jim Allen says a lot of debris was left behind. He says there are a “countless number of trees” down and some utility poles down.Three Sioux City radio stations were knocked off the air and half of the city was without power, including one of Sioux City’s hospitals. A roof collapsed on a dentist working on a patient, but no one was hurt seriously. Utility officials say about 12-thousand people are still without electricity. The city’s hospitals have opened their cafeterias to people who don’t have air conditioning and the Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter for anyone who needs overnight accommodations. Late today, Governor Vilsack declared Woodbury County a disaster area to allow them to receive state help in the clean up.