Ely resorts scramble to meet vacationer needs after storms

The resort industry of Ely, Minn., is struggling to accommodate vacationers in the wake of a storm that left two dead in canoe country and thousands without power across the state.

At least one of the largest resorts in the area — Camp Van Vac, on the shores of Burntside Lake — had to close after the storm knocked down trees and disrupted power, said Ely Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cherie Sonsalla. Calls to the camp went unanswered, as phone connections in the area are still unreliable.

On Farm Lake, east of Ely, Timber Trail Lodge was more fortunate. Owner Brian Forsberg said he lost of lot of trees, but all his cabins are still standing and the power is back on. Timber Trail is still open, and like many other resorts in the area, it's been fully booked for weeks.

"I've had a few calls from people at Camp Van Vac," he said, "but I haven't been able to accommodate them."

Sonsalla has been scrambling to find lodging for all the vacationers planning trips to the closed resorts, but that's proving difficult.

"Most places are full this time of year," she said. "We've been calling around, finding places that maybe have one cabin open."

The task is complicated by power outages that still plague the area, and downed phone lines. Even if a resort has open cabins, she won't know if their phone line is down.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is not closed to campers. According to an update posted to the U.S. Forest Service website, those planning to come to the wilderness area this week are still welcome, despite widespread damage.

"Visitors are cautioned to take extra care when choosing a campsite," the Forest Service warned, "Look for hanging tops or leaning trees. Assess root systems for weakness."

Two campers who lost their lives to Thursday's storms were killed by falling trees on the Canadian side of Basswood Lake on the Minnesota-Canada border, according to Ontario police investigators.

At least a dozen portages are impassable in the wilderness area today. Forest Service aircraft surveying the wilderness are reporting widespread tree damage, and that damage extends well out into the surrounding area.

Utility crews are making progress restoring electricity to the tens of thousands of homes that lost power to the storm. Thursday morning more than 75,000 customers were without power across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. That number has now dropped to about 45,000.

Still, it will take several more days to restore power to everyone.

The 911 emergency call system from Tower to Ely and Wilton, and south to Babbitt was shut down Friday morning as crews worked to repair downed phone lines across hundreds of square miles of northern Minnesota.

According to Patsy Kingsley who runs the St. Louis County 911 center, CenturyLink crews had to reset a large portion of the emergency call system. She hopes it will be up and running soon. Until then, she said first responders are staffing all fire halls and police stations across the region.

People in the Ely area might not be able to call for help, she said, but if they can make it to the nearest fire hall, someone will be there.

The storm also caused damage and power outages to several state parks. Greer Lake Campground is temporarily closed, and a few others are still without power.

Itasca State Park was temporarily closed after the storm Thursday. Now all drive-in campsites are back open, said Pat Arndt, Minnesota State Parks and Trails communications manager. While some Ely-bound vacationers struggle to find a place to stay, Arndt said Itasca has more vacant campsites than normal.

"Some people saw the storm coming and canceled their reservations," she said. "They didn't want to deal with the uncertainty."

Anyone looking to visit state campgrounds and recreation areas this week should check the Minnesota State Parks website.

Correction (July 22, 2016): An earlier version of this story suggested that Burntside Lodge in Ely would be closed this week. The lodge remains open in the aftermath of the storms. The story has been updated.