Officials are still assessing damage from Tuesday’s windstorm, but it’s clear Dunkirk dodged a disaster.

A large tree fell near Robin and Second streets, wiping out the electrical grid in the area — which includes Dunkirk’s water treatment plant and main pumping facility.

However, according to city Department of Public Works Director Randy Woodbury, “City buildings nearby are being run with no negative issues using the water plant’s large Cummins diesel generator. We can do that for days if needed as we are topping off the fuel tank daily.”

Woodbury added that “while wires are down, our telemetry engineer has us patched into monitoring our tanks through a cell phone link.” He said it’s “going to take National Grid quite a while to rebuild” from the damage in the vicinity.

“The workarounds are working well. Very proud of the crews and the professional operators,” Woodbury concluded.

As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, there were still 5,023 customers in Chautauqua County without power, according to National Grid. The power utility offered dry ice in the afternoon at the Dunkirk Firemen’s Training Grounds on Brigham Road for people hoping to save products from dead freezers.

The amount of downed trees and branches in Fredonia was “unmeasurable,” according to Fire Chief Joshua Myers. The calls for arcing or downed power wires and broken poles were “again unmeasurable.”

He said a portion of the Fredonia Department of Public Works roof was damaged in the storm. “No other major damages, or injuries at this point in the assessment,” Myers said early Wednesday afternoon.

The Dunkirk Police Department stated in a press release that a travel ban put in place Tuesday afternoon is now lifted. However, “we still urge caution as storm damage has left debris in the roadways. Our Public Works Department is continuing to get all areas cleaned up. Please slow down and give the right of way to DPW personnel as they work to clean up storm damage.”

The winds came out of the south and east, and they “sure surprised some trees that are used to prevailing westerlies,” Woodbury said.

The National Weather Service’s station at the Dunkirk Airport reported sustained southeast winds of 41 miles per hour, with gusts up to 63 miles per hour, at 11:53 a.m. Tuesday. There are no readings available after that.