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The president of Arcadian Bank in Hartland is assuring customers that their accounts and banking information are safe despite significant damage to the bank Wednesday night from severe weather.

A press release from the bank Wednesday afternoon said the building’s most extensive damage was to the exterior of the building, mostly on the southwest side, with windows blown out and debris scattered inside. Some of the brickwork on the east side was also torn off.

The interior, other than miscellaneous debris, is mostly intact.

At this time, it is unknown how much structural damage was sustained.

The release stated the safe deposit vault was undamaged and remains secure with plans being made to relocate the safe deposit boxes to the bank’s Albert Lea location. If a customer needs access to a safe deposit box vault urgently, they should contact the Albert Lea or Freeborn locations to discuss.

All accounts are accessible, an any banking transactions can be conducted from the other two locations or online.

The Hartland branch will be closed until further notice with staff members temporarily reassigned to other branches.

““We try to plan for things like this, but no amount of planning can prepare you for seeing sections of the 100-plus-year-old building where our bank started turned into rubble,” said President Mark Heinemann. “Nobody was hurt, and buildings can be repaired or rebuilt. This is a sad event to end the year, but we will persevere.”

He said the bank’s staff remain positive and dedicated to the community of Hartland.

“Our core values and mission statement will ensure that our organization and customers will get through this unfortunate event,” he said.

The press release said staff are community-owned and community focused and appreciated the thoughts and kind words at this time. People with questions can call 507-373-1945.