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By DARLA L. PICKETT
Staff Writer Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Staff Writer

Residents continue to recover from a tornado-like storm that on Friday tore down hundreds of trees, crushed cars, damaged homes and killed cattle where they stood in a Pittsfield pasture.

Linda Keene said lightning struck Alice, a cow and Stormy and Augustus, her two steers born last year. Alice's 2-month old calf survived.

"We went out to feed (Saturday) morning and they didn't come down," said Keene. "It feels pretty sad when (the cows) come to eat and there are three empty spots."

The animals were found dead in the center of the 204-acre pasture of How-Lin Farm on Snake Root Road, owned by Keene and her husband.

Keene said she returned from her job at Home Depot in Waterville at about 9:15 p.m. Friday with the storm swirling all around her: "It's the first time I've ever seen red lightning," Keene said.

A crack of thunder and lightning just before 11 p.m. left parts of her house black and without power, according to Keene.

"I would say it happened sometime between (then) and 2 a.m.," said Keene, who estimated the loss of her animals at between $6,000 and $7,000. "We lost more than the value of the cows. We're waiting to hear from the insurance company."

Keene's story is but one of dozens circulating around Somerset County in the aftermath of Friday's storm, which included lightning strikes, reported winds of up to 100 mph and tornado-like conditions.

Robert F. Higgins Sr., director of emergency management for Somerset County Emergency Management Agency, said Monday he is still assessing the damage, which currently is estimated at $500,000 to $1 million.

"It's tough obtaining a total assessment of the county," Higgins said Monday. "It takes a collaborative effort between the road commissioners, code enforcement officers and local directors to do the assessment because almost all of the damage is private damage."

Laney Road in East Madison was among the hardest hit, Higgins said. Roofs were ripped off people's homes, trees came down on five vehicles and Central Maine Power Co. lost all of its lines there, along with Verizon and the cable company.

"I've never seen so much devastation in three-quarters of a mile. Amazing," Higgins said.

Gail Rice, spokesman for Central Maine Power Co., said that at the peak hours of the storm Friday night and Saturday morning an estimated 4,100 customers had been affected by power outages in the Skowhegan service area, which includes Mercer, Norridgewock, Canaan and all the way to Jackman.

Albert Wheeler, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Gray, said it has not yet been determined if the storm was a tornado or a "microburst," a shorter-lived tornado-like event with a straighter path.

Darla L. Pickett -- 474-9534, Ext. 341

dpickett@centralmaine.com

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