Storm crushes trailer, cuts power

A pair of brothers, who live in Sun Tree Hollow south of Ketchum, are lucky to be alive today after a powerful storm blasted the Wood River Valley with strong winds and rain last Thursday evening.

Neither Jim nor Tom Niemiste were home at about 7:45 p.m. when a tree crashed through their trailer, crushing Jim’s bedroom.

Jim was at a local tavern at the time, and Tom was playing golf, according to the brothers.

Tom, who works for a local landscaping company, said it was just a matter of time before a tree would fall in their trailer park.

"I was waiting for this one to come down," Niemiste said. "It was just a matter of time."

The heavy winds knocked down power lines in at least two locations in Ketchum and forced outages elsewhere, scrambling local repair crews from Idaho Power all over the county.

One lineman, who started his shift at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, wasn’t done until 5 a.m. Friday morning.

At beginning of his shift, the lineman said he was up in Ketchum, then was called down to Carey, only to be dispatched back to Warm Springs.

While there were a number of power interruptions in the valley Thursday, Idaho Power spokesman Jim Bell said Twin Falls was harder hit.