Residents in the Northland are dealing with last night’s thunderstorm aftermath. From power outages, to fallen trees on country highways, severe storms can become incredibly dangerous. But how can people prepare for future severe thunderstorms?

Last night, the winds and rain led to washouts on country highways and trees uprooted. Dan “The Tree Man” Tarr has seen plenty of storms in his 40 years of tree removal service. Tarr says out of the thunderstorms in his line of work, this wasn’t near the worst. But he still shared steps people can take to save themselves a hassle in the future.

“It’s all geometry when you’re taking them down. You’ve got to watch out for those tops when they’re broken,” Tarr said. “One branch on a roof is 15 years of wear and tear with just a small one touching it. So it’s better to trim branches back and to thin them out inside. Not just butcher them, but shape them so the wind blows through it.”

more than 15 hundred of lake country power customers had their power out from last night’s storm. Greg Schulzetenberg says there are some essential steps you can take to prepare for a thunderstorm.

“You should have a cell phone that’s fully charged, you should have a flashlight, battery powered flashlight. You should keep a battery operated radio handy as well,” Schulzetenberg said. “Just essential supplies would be a flashlight, batteries, radio, extra supply of water and food if it’s going to be an extended outage.”

Schulzetenberg also says if there are any trees causing power outages for your home, let the tree removal crews handle the work.

“Homeowners should just remember that these guys are up against the elements. They need to be patient when the power goes out,” Schulzetenberg said. “We’re working on it. We’re ready. The guys will do it as safely and quickly as they can.”

For more information about other tips to prepare for power outages you can read more here. Also for another story about the thunderstorm aftermath you can read more here.