TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Two children under the age of 10 were injured when a tree fell on them while they were waiting for the school bus south of Twin Falls during severe windstorms that battered the Magic Valley on Wednesday.
The Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office said the incident occurred just before 7 a.m. when strong winds caused a tree to fall on the children, also bringing down power lines in the area. An older sibling was present but was not injured.
WATCH: High winds cause havoc in Twin Falls on Wednesday
Despite the dangerous wind conditions, Air St. Luke's was able to land near the scene and transported one child to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center. The other child was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The extent of their injuries was not immediately available.
The National Weather Service reported maximum wind speeds of 68 mph in Twin Falls just after 9:45 a.m. Wednesday.
The severe weather prompted a high volume of emergency calls throughout the day for downed trees, downed power lines, and semi-truck rollovers, according to the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office. Multiple semi rollovers were spotted on Highway 93 just after 10 a.m.
"Wind gusts, those are really the ones that nail you to the wall," said David Cline, a skills examiner for commercial driver's license testing.
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Cline canceled his scheduled tests for Wednesday because of the dangerous conditions for large vehicles.
"They're just great big sails, especially when they've got a light load on. It's just like holding onto a big sheet and see what happens in this wind. You're gonna — it's not gonna be fun," Cline said.
Heavy rains also swept through the area, causing additional damage. The Buhl Public Library was forced to close after its deluge system flooded, compromising the roof and pouring water into the children's play area. The library will remain closed indefinitely while officials assess the damage.
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