It was such a big event, that it held the front page of the Prescott Journal for three weeks—and resurfaced into August with a Menard’s ad for storm damage deals and the announcement that the State of Wisconsin had taken control of the Martell Mutual Insurance Company, which had been bankrupted in the aftermath of “The Storm” (as it would come to be known) that laid waste to Pierce County and the surrounding area on July 15, 1980, 40 years ago this week. Things had been relatively tranquil just days before, according to the Journal. Kids jumping off the local bridge for a swim near Prescott were becoming a big headache for the local police.

“Bridge jumpers are headache for police,” the front page of the Prescott Journal for July 17, 1980 read, dated two days after “The Storm” but otherwise the high point of the Journal’s front page—that and damaging winds with a reported tornado touchdown near Hager City. Meanwhile and elsewhere in Pierce County, Spring Valley native David Sorenson was reportedly seeking his fifth term as the County Clerk, while down at the beach—not the bridge—it was once again time for summer swimming lessons. Further south in Pierce and Pepin Counties, the remnants of a Native American presence from around 700-1200 A.D. were being catalogued, along with signs of the later European arrivals. It was another summer of Sun and fun—these plus 80-100 mile per hour winds of course. The River Falls Journal of July 17, 1980 had the scoop: “Storm lashes area Tuesday evening; worst near Ellsworth,” read the headline, while the story by Pat Petricka had more on the devastation wrought.

“Trees by the thousands and rural buildings by the hundreds were destroyed or damaged early Tuesday evening by a wind and rain storm that hit the area There was one death related directly to the storm reported as of noon Wednesday,” the paper dated for Thursday said, then continuing on. “A trip through Pierce County between River Falls, Ellsworth and Prescott Wednesday morning told the story of widespread damage. A number…were destroyed as were other farm buildings. Trees in many many farm yards as well as along the roads were down. Branches and leaves, plus debris from various buildings also dotted the countryside…” Despite this bleak report, the River Falls Journal nonetheless reported that the sheriff’s department had no reports of serious injury by the storm, with the only death known at press time that of a 25-year-old woman from Dunn County who had reportedly perished when her trailer had overturned in the chaos. Meanwhile from Detroit, Governor Dreyfus of Wisconsin had declared Pierce County a disaster area, being in the Michigan capital for the 1980 “Republican convention,” where Ronald Reagan was nominated for President, together with George Bush Sr. for Vice President. Getting home from partisan political matters, the Prescott Journal of July 24, 1980 said of Governor Dreyfus that; “It is isn’t very often people who have been wiped out by a storm have a chance to talk directly to the Governor of their state, and be encouraged by the fact that a case can be made which might result in help most needed—financial—to recover the loss and keep on farming.” Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus came to tour the disaster area, and then promptly demanded the federal government to fund “100 percent or nothing” for remuneration.

Meanwhile, also included in the July 24th, 1980 edition of the Journal was news of a more recent human storm on July 20—actually a street fight—from which Prescott’s Men In Blue had dispersed all but two people, “who continued to fight on the street between the bridges,” the Journal reported. These were potentially the two people who were also arrested and charged with disorderly conduct from said fight, with a future date being set to appear in municipal court, though evidentiary proofs are not at hand just now. Meanwhile, the Pierce County Herald of the same date as the Prescott Journal (July 24, 1980) reported that the storm losses totaled $250 million, magnified somewhat to $777,894,417.48 in present 2020 dollars when adjusted for forty years of inflation. Dreyfus had his own take on the matter, aside from money: “It almost looks to me like we’ve been in military action,” the World War II Navy veteran said, elaborating later. “As you start south, you see the intensity growing. Eau Claire is just incredible. Tree, after tree, after tree—into houses—and nobody dead.” Saying that he would seek to have the federal government cover as much of the cost as possible, Dreyfus decided to make the declaration directly to Carter as the President then in office, a Democrat but also a fellow Navy man, and a Georgia peanut farmer. But while partial coverage of $100 million in damages was believed to be covered by commercial insurance, not everyone was so lucky—and not all insurances companies were able to handle the acute burdens placed on them. One such company was named for Martell, that is, until it was dissolved as a direct result of “The Storm” and its aftermath. Reporting in its August 21, 1980 issue that the state had taken custody of Martell Mutual Insurance Company and had petitioned the St. Croix County Circuit Court to liquidate it, the Prescott Journal said that this act was meant to help ensure that no one policy claimant would get preference in payout for storm damage from the limited company funds. Writing policies in four counties (Pierce, Pepin, Dunn, and St. Croix) that were hit by the July 15 tornado plus another windstorm that long ago summer, the sheer number of claims at one time had proven too much for the relatively small company, and it had gone bankrupt. Given this situation, page three of the August 21, 1980 Prescott Journal to the west asked a question; namely, “Who’s to blame in Martell situation?”

“Trying to assess blame for the liquidation of Martell Town Mutual Insurance seemed to be on the minds of the nearly 1,000 people who turned out for the meeting called by Jack Hines on Tuesday, Aug. 19 at Ellsworth Senior High,” it said, then going on. “Whether the Board of Directors of Martell Town Mutual, the State Insurance Commissioner’s Office, or the reinsurance firm bears the blame was the main question. The losers are the 1,000 policy holders who face receiving only a percentage of payment on their claims filed as a result of damages and losses suffered during recent storms,” the Journal reported. “Jack Hines gave a history of developments as they have taken place in recent months. He particularly outlined problems as they have developed since the July 15 storm. He called the meeting in hopes of laying rest to numerous rumors that have been circulating…” Contained as well in the explanation was the information that the firm had received claims totaling an estimated $4.3 million in claims from the July 15 storm, which meant a deficit of $1.9 million for the insurance company. With 3,200 policy holders over four counties, $240,000,000 in coverage and $800,000 in premiums, there just wasn’t enough money on supply to meet the concentrated and acute demand. As a result of this situation, the Insurance Commissioner at the time, Susan Mitchell, had ordered the company’s liquidation on August 11, whereupon her office had taken control of the company to address claims. A liquidator would be appointed by “Judge Bartholomew” as early as the Friday after the meeting, at which point things would be in the liquidators hands to take care of—but that wasn’t the last word on the matter, or so the Prescott Journal made known at the time.

“A more detailed report will appear in next week’s Journal,” the story update from August 21 closed out—and so the saga of the July 15, 1980 storm continued on, well into the future.

It took some time, but the reinsurance did kick in as it was supposed to have right away and all Martell Mutual policy holders did have their claims covered.