Downtown Fort Dodge, including The Messenger, lost power at about 9 p.m. and was left in the dark throughout the night.

Delivery of The Messenger may be delayed today as power outages impacted Messenger operations.

Downed trees and debris littered the streets of downtown Fort Dodge.

All Fort Dodge schools are closed today.

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter MidAmerican Energy crews remove damaged pieces of a power pole Wednesday morning

Low hanging powerlines and damaged utility poles could be seen throughout the city.

Local businesses had roofs damaged. In one case, the Cenex canopy at Yesway, North 22nd Street and Second Avenue North, reportedly collapsed.

Tina Potthoff, a spokeswoman for MidAmerican Energy Co., said Fort Dodge was among the hardest hit areas in the state.

Of the 13,000 plus customers in Iowa without power Tuesday night, about 11,000 were located in Fort Dodge, Potthoff reported.

Vincent and Duncombe were also reportedly without power.

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter Here is the church, where is the steeple? It's lying on the roof after the heavy winds last night, at St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Potthoff said crews would be working throughout the night to restore power. She gave no estimate on when power would be restored.

Kari Prescott, Webster County Health Department director, spoke on behalf of Webster County Emergency Management.

Prescott said Third Street and Sixth and Seventh Avenue North would be closed until further notice.

A tree entangled in at least three power lines was located in that area.

Prescott advised that people stay in their homes even after the storms pass through.

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter

She also asked that residents keep 911 lines open for emergencies only.

“We are very much aware that trees are down all over the city,” Prescott said. “We are working to organize cleanup efforts.”

She added, “Power lines are leaning and it’s a very dangerous situation out there.”

According to Prescott, there were also reports of trees that had fallen on vehicles.

Elsewhere in Webster County, dozens of trees were found closing off roads.

-Messenger photo by Joe Sutter Trees have fallen on power lines throughout Fort Dodge

Nicholas Dunbar, Dayton police chief, reported at least one tree that had fallen on a house in Dayton.

Officials estimated wind speeds at about 70 mph throughout the county.

Lt. Kevin Kruse, of the Webster County Sheriff’s Department, also reported down trees in Moorland and Callender.

“Moorland probably had a little more damage than Callender,” Kruse said.

Kruse added that Fort Dodge may have been hit the hardest.