APPLETON, Wis. — Thunderstorms packing winds of more than 100 mph and two tornadoes caused at least one weather-related fatality, destroyed a church, barns and other buildings and cut power for what could be days to tens of thousands of people in central and northeastern Wisconsin.
"The damage is really devastating," said Lt. Kevin Wickman, of the Brown County Sheriff's Department. "There were rooftops of entire buildings that were blown off. ... There was a top of a silo in the roadway in one location that we didn't even know where it came from."
Gov. Scott Walker scheduled a visit to the area for Thursday morning to see the storm damage. He planned to hold a news conference outside a New London church that was destroyed when a tornado struck.
In Marinette County, Town of Porterfield chairman Eugene LaCombe was killed and 23-year-old Keith Franks was injured when they were struck by a vehicle about 1:40 a.m. Wednesday while clearing storm debris from a road, according to county sheriff's officials.
They were in the southbound lane when they were struck by a 19-year-old from the Town of Porterfield. LaCombe's vehicle was parked in the northbound lane with its headlights and flashers on.
Heavy rain, wind and the glare of headlights from LaCombe's vehicle contributed to the driver not seeing the men, sheriff's officials say. Franks is expected to survive.
The most significant damage was reported in and near the Fox Valley. The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes hit the region, embedded in the straight-line winds. An EF-2 tornado with winds estimated at over 110 mph struck New London in Waupaca County just before 12:30 a.m., all but flattening Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, then continued southeast toward Hortonville, where hundreds of homes sustained damage from snapped and uprooted trees.
NEW LONDON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will visit northeastern Wisconsin on Thursday morning to tour the damage from powerful storms that hit the area.