Storm Damages Provo, Utah Airport; Knocks out Power

Aug. 2, 2006
At Provo Airport, several small planes were flipped over and the roof of a fire station collapsed on a fire truck.

A storm packing rain, hail and 80-mph gusts of wind Tuesday ruined roofs, destroyed trees and cut power to thousands of people as it raged across northern Utah.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported.

At Provo Airport, several small planes were flipped over and the roof of a fire station collapsed on a fire truck.

About 4,000 homes and businesses were without power in Provo, and some outages could last as long as three days, Mayor Lewis Billings said. Rocky Mountain Power reported 22,000 homes or businesses without electricity in the Salt Lake City area, and 1,200 outages in Park City.

Hours after the midday storm had passed, there were still 6-inch piles of hail in shaded areas.

At a Sizzler restaurant, waitresses served food despite a wind-blown gap in the roof.

"We just told our customers that we would get their food to them as soon as possible," Akasha Francom told the Daily Herald. "We had to help our cooks with flashlights because it just left them completely in the dark."

Another server, Ashlee Warren, witnessed the sudden alteration to the restaurant.

"Something went flying past and I said, 'I think that was our roof,'" she said.

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