OTTAWA — The powerful winds from Wednesday afternoon’s freak storm caused heavy damage to the Village Inn Motel and the Ottawa Municipal Airport.The roof was ripped off the motel on South Elm Street. Photos from above showed the bizarre scene of motel rooms, with beds still neatly made, open to the sky. Manager Ryan Hwangbo said 15 of the 18 motel units were destroyed. Hwangbo’s family owns the Village Inn Motel.
Twelve of the rooms were occupied by construction workers working on U.S. 59, he said. His family lived in another of the units that were destroyed. The Ottawa Municipal Airport was closed and will remain closed after the storm severely damaged at least eight planes, destroyed a hangar and cut power. The airport could remain closed for a week, manager Chuck LeMaster said. The wind also picked up a DC-3 at Dodson Aviation’s shot at the airport and dropped it about a half-mile away in a soybean field.
