Asking for help with Chetek, WI tornado clean up.

[Joe Hillmann]

I work for the township of Prairie Lake near Chetek, WI.  On Tuesday a tornado went through the area.  If you want information on it google "Prairie Lake Tornado"

If anyone with heavy equipment would be willing to donate a day of their equipment and an operator to help clean up our roads please contact me.

What would be most helpful would be...
       large dump trucks(we only have two single axle plow/dump trucks).

       a full sized excavator WITH A THUMB to pick the trees out of the ditch and load them into the the trucks.

      a logging truck with a boom and grapple with a box rather than bunks so it can haul brush and debris. 

      a timber harvester may also be helpful if it is able to work with tangled up trees that are already knocked down.

Right now the roads have been cleared by pushing thousands of trees into the ditch that fell over the roads and now we are trying to clear our right of ways in the ditches.  Homeowners are also staking debris from their yards into the ditch for us to take as well.  It is to the point now that smaller equipment like skid steers and pay loaders aren't of much help any more and hand work isn't of much help any more either.

If you are able to donate a day of machine use and an operator tomorrow (Sunday) or early next week in Chetek, WI please call me at 715-642-2426.   I will be up 'til 10:00 tonight and will be getting up at 6:00 tomorrow so call anytime that I am awake.  I will not be near a computer so will not be able to check for replys or PM's here. 


Moderators,  if this request is inappropriate please take it down.

[Ox]

I wish I was closer.  I feel bad for those folks who lost.  I wish you luck with the cleanup and getting extra help.  :-\

[chet]

I worked both the Siren and Ladysmith tornadoes, also years earlier the Lake Tomahawk one all in your area.  I have since retired, the mind still wants to, but the body says it aint gonna happen.   :(  From past experience I'm sure you will get lots of help.