MINOT, ND (KXNET) — Earlier this month, we had a day with extremely high winds that caused damage in some North Dakota cities, and Minot city workers are still doing some cleanup around town nearly three weeks later. The City of Minot Street Department, along with the Minot Parks Department, has had to pick up close to 2,500 tree piles since a high wind event hit North Dakota earlier this month when winds reached up to 70 miles per hour. Trees that were obstructing roadways were quickly taken care of, and city crews have been able to clear tree piles from the western parts of the city. How to protect your skin from winter’s dryness Workers are expected to pick up more piles in areas of east Minot this week. Utilities Director Jason Sorenson says the effort has taken longer than expected because city crews were just not ready to deal with the large numbers of downed branches and trees. "Our crews are out on a weekly basis picking up tree branches and they pick up anywhere from 50 to 150 on a weekly basis. So when you end up with thousands of piles to pick up, then it just became a bigger effort and we just had to bring in some additional resources to help us out," said Sorenson. All the tree piles are expected to be picked up by the City of Minot by the end of the week. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Today's Top Stories SIGN UP NOW