Storm rakes Charmany, leaves heavy damage

A storm that roared through Madison’s west side Wednesday night heavily damaged UW–Madison’s Charmany Instructional Facility, according to campus officials.

The complex, near Mineral Point and Rosa roads, was hard-hit by the storm but no employees were injured and animals at the facility were largely unscathed.

“We do have some major structural damage, but we were very fortunate that no one was hurt and that no animals were badly injured,” says James Tracy, associate dean for research in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Damage at the facility, which is home to a dairy teaching herd and other livestock, was considerable. Risk management officials were assessing the damage Thursday, but were not expected to arrive at a damage estimate until sometime next week.

An engineering construction firm was on the scene Thursday afternoon making certain the facility was safe and weatherproof, and beginning a clean-up.

Numerous mature trees were snapped off on the grounds of the facility, electrical wires were down and debris was scattered over a large area.

A large, metal-sided equipment shed just south of the farmhouse had its roof and one end sheared off. Trees fell near the house, but it appeared largely undamaged.

A barn housing hay and feed was destroyed and wind-tossed roof trusses appeared to have been hurled through the roof of an animal surgery center near the dairy barn.

“There were people working in the dairy barn, just 30 feet away from where the hay barn was destroyed,” says Tracy, noting that only a small number of animals incurred minor injuries such as scratches and bruises.

Milking was conducted as usual Thursday, though Tracy said production was down because the herd was upset by the storm. New feed was trucked in because the destruction of the hay barn contaminated feed with metal and other debris.

In one part of the facility, officials say a roof was lifted off the structure and set back down, about 1.5 inches to the north. In an office area, suspended ceilings collapsed, rainwater was leaking through the roof and electric wiring hung through the ceiling in places.

In a parking lot at the facility, trees were down and a white pickup truck there was heavily damaged.

A recently vacated soil testing facility comprised of temporary buildings was also damaged, with metal siding being stripped off in places and roofs sustaining damage. A metal equipment shed just west of the former testing facility had part of its roof peeled off in the storm.