Tornado Damage in Golden Valley Cleaned Up

Except for tree stumps, damage in Golden Valley from the tornadoes of a few weeks ago has been cleaned. With fallen trees now out of the way, the long process begins for assessing the next steps will for replacing lost trees and damaged playground equipment.

“We will be coming to the city council in the coming weeks with reports, recommendations and requests on tree and equipment replacement,” said Golden Valley Fire Chief Mark Kuhnly. “It will take us a while to get the final numbers, both in terms of the trees we want to replace and the costs. We will also have an idea as to the scope and costs for replacing the playground equipment lost at North Tyrol Park.”

As is the case with all government entities, the city is responsible for dealing with damage on public property. Property owners are responsible for repairing damage to their own grounds.

Golden Valley was one of several communities hit by tornadoes that blew through the western and northern Twin Cities metropolitan area on May 22. The most severe damage occurred in North Minneapolis, where two people were killed amid widespread destruction. St. Louis Park also suffered damage in the northeast section of the city.

Golden Valley, along with other municipalities damaged by the storm, has already filed preliminary information with Hennepin County regarding possible relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The county will work with local governments and FEMA. Golden Valley would probably be seeking “approximately $100,000,” Kuhnly said. Preliminary estimates put the total damage from the storm at over $16 million.