Published: June 23, 2009 01:25 pm         

Strong storms occur in county

Monticelo — Strong storms swept through Wayne County two days last week, causing widespread damage to trees and property. No one was injured, according to Wayne County Emergency Management Director Bubby Corder, but downed trees did cause problems for many residents, taking down electric lines and there was at least one report of a tree falling on a mobile home.

While officials with the National Weather Service said they saw no rotation on weather radar when the storms moved through the county, there were reports from local residents who said they saw funnel clouds on Tuesday, June 16 and Wednesday, June 17.

One Outlook reader e-mailed photos of what appears to be a funnel cloud.

Corder also has a picture that was taken by one of the Wayne County EMS employees during Tuesday's storm, which shows what appears to be a funnel cloud over a residence in the Zollicoffer area.

Corder said that emergency sirens were sounded just prior to Tuesday's storm, at approximately 4:43 p.m. After the high winds and pounding rain passed through the area, calls about damage began to come in. He said that damage was reported in all areas of the county and mostly involved trees and tree limbs. The Monticello Fire Department responded to a call at about 5:07 p.m. when a tree that had fallen on power lines in the Rocky Hill Road area caught fire.

Corder offered some advice for local residents when they hear the emergency sirens. He said that when the sirens are sounded then a severe storm or a tornado are possible, and residents should seek safe shelter immediately. He urged that residents not call the 911 center unless they have an emergency situation to report.

He noted that the 911 center was tied up with many calls from people who just wanted information after they heard the sirens

"People just flooded the 911 center with calls, asking for information.

It tied up the lines and it made it difficult for the dispatchers to do the job they needed to be doing," said Corder. He said the best way to obtain information is by listening to radio stations or watching nearby television stations.

     

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