Yulia Popp thought there was an earthquake at her East Side home Wednesday afternoon.

She was sitting in her kitchen and in a blink of the eye, she said she heard what she thought was an explosion and her house began to shake rapidly.

“I was scared. I ran to the living room to see what was going on and there were clouds of dust everywhere. I couldn’t see,” Popp said using hand gestures and speaking in a Russian accent.

“It was the sound of boom. I immediately saw dust. It seemed like the house was about to fall apart. It was really scary. I just ran. I could see the cracks in the ceiling.”

Popp said she knew it wasn’t safe.

"I had to get outside with my animals. And that's when I realized what had just happened,” she said.

Popp wasn’t experiencing an earthquake in Pueblo, Colorado, on the 1900 block of East Fifth Street. It was another form of nature’s fury – one Southern Colorado is used to – the relentless wind.

The strong wind blew a tree in her front yard on top of the house and caved in the living room.

“Oh my God. This is something I would have never imagined. I am glad we are all OK,” she said with a laugh of relief.

Down the street, George Padilla had a similar experience. A tree in his front yard also was blown over, but it didn’t touch his home.

“I was in the living room and all of the sudden I hear a whoop. The tree was down. Thank God it didn’t cause damage,” Padilla said as a tractor helped remove branches from the street in front of his home.

The scene played out across the Steel City Wednesday as high winds came in at about 11 a.m.

For Pueblo, the “Bomb Cyclone” was a dud as far as snowfall, but it made up for it with wind and rain.

Wind gusts reached 78 mph which is considered far above hurricane force wind.

According to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, the Connect Charter School, 104 E. Seventh St., "sustained significant damage sustained significant damage after a parapet wall on the roof was blown over and collapsed a portion of the roof. There were no injuries reported. Students and staff were evacuated and later sent home for the day."

By noon Wednesday, there was 0.76 inches or rain. According to the National Weather Service in Pueblo, that amount broke a city record for rainfall for March 13. The previous record was set in 1973, where 0.43 inches of rain fell.

As blizzard conditions wreaked havoc in Colorado Springs and Denver Wednesday morning, Pueblo residents woke up to a gentle rain.

The city was on a high wind warning while the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warnings to the north.

Pueblo Police reported several accidents throughout the day. The Interstate 25 corridor between Colorado Springs and Denver was closed.

Children’s trampolines and swing sets were thrown in the air. Damage was reported citywide.

Pueblo’s temporary homeless shelter opened at 1:30 p.m. because of the weather.

According to Black Hills Energy, there were confirmed power outages on the South Side and North Side of town.

The Pueblo Police Department's Communications Center was receiving a high volume of calls concerning power outages, downed power lines, and traffic lights not working.

"If you see downed power lines or are experiencing power outages, please contact Black Hills Energy immediately at 1-800-694-8989," police said.

"If you see a downed power line that is sparking or causing a fire, please call 911."

The police reported numerous traffic lights out. The city was on cold reporting for car accidents.

In a related development, high winds blew the roof off of the Pueblo West Metropolitan District Administration building at 109 Industrial Blvd. about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday.

According to Jay-Michael Baker, district spokesman, the roof and a portion of the HVAC equipment was blocking Industrial, forcing the road's closure between Industrial and Purcell. The water billing and community development offices will be closed to the public for the forseeable future.

Senior staff will meet today to discuss contingency plans.

The building is one of the oldest in Pueblo West as it formerly was a post office and fire station. There were no injuries and district officials are operating out of Fire Station 3, Baker said.

Aside from Pueblo West, the sheriff's news release noted that Blende and the St. Charles Mesa were also hit hard by the storm and that there were dozens of wind-related incidents throughout the city and county.

Sheriff Kirk Taylor noted that two trees were uprooted at the Pueblo County Courthouse, one of which blocked access to 10th and Main streets, and that power outages occurred at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, along with several in the city that included a Pueblo Fire Department station. All were later restored.



Taylor reminded citizens to be aware of dangers that exist during storms of this magnitude and avoid going out, if possible. If you must drive, Taylor reminded motorists to watch for downed power lines, debris, downed trees and emergency vehicles on the roads. People should not approach any downed power lines.



Pueblo Fire Department officials reminded citizens that the department does not stock spare oxygen bottles. Oxygen-users should contact suppliers directly if they have problems and contact 9-1-1- for emergencies.

Elsewhere in the region, Wednesday's weather brought more than a quarter of an inch of rain and gusty winds to the Canon City area. Rains caused at least one rock slide on Oak Creek Grade Road 7.5 miles south of Canon City where the Fremont County Sheriff's office was reporting slick road conditions

Residents of Texas Creek also reported rain turning to snow. A total of 7 inches of new snow was reported on Monarch Pass in neighboring Chaffee County.

In Westcliffe, heavy rain turned to snow Wednesday. About 3 inches of snow was reported by early afternoon and a total of 0.34 of an inch of moisture was measured from the rain and snow totals.

To the south, the Colorado Department of Transportation closed La Veta Pass at about 11 a.m. due to treacherous conditions. CDOT later reopened the pass.

Chieftain Staff Writer Tracy Harmon contributed to this report.

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