Storm damages buildings, knocks down trees, knocks out power

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:15 a.m. June 11.

There are reports of trees and power lines down throughout Anderson County, and some roads are still blocked after a fast-moving storm ripped through East Tennessee, authorities said early Tuesday evening.

There have been reports of trees that have fallen on homes, but so far no injuries have been reported.

The short, fierce storm whipped through Oak Ridge and Anderson County with severe winds and driving rain at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. It left a path of debris: scattered branches and limbs, broken trees, fallen power lines, and damaged buildings and homes. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said there was a semi truck and trailer that apparently was blown over by high winds on Lake City Highway at Old Lake City Highway.

“It has now been removed and the roadway is open,” the Sheriff’s Department said early Tuesday night. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

At about 8:30 p.m., the Clinton Utilities Board reported that 6,173 customers had been affected by the storm, and 4,068 were still without power.

Stoplights have been out, and police have been directing traffic as rain continued to fall and storms moved out of the area.

Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department was notifying the Anderson County Highway Department and Tennessee Department of Transportation of fallen trees.

“They are responding as quickly as possible, but there are so many it may be a while for some areas,” Lucas said. “The rescue squad and the local volunteer fire departments are also assisting in removing trees.”

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said power was restored at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton at about 9 p.m.

Lucas said there are several areas of the county without power.

“We are on emergency generator here at our 911 center in Clinton,” he said Tuesday night. “We are asking those who have a power outage to report this directly to CUB at (865) 457-9232 unless there is an emergency due to the power being out or live wires down. We have to call them by phone as well. CUB has an outage monitoring system, so in most cases they are already aware of the loss of power. They too are working as quickly as possible to restore power throughout the county.”

The Sheriff’s Department had two patrol shifts on duty to handle the calls, and its dispatch center was extremely busy for almost two straight hours, Lucas said.

“We not only dispatch Sheriff’s deputies but EMS, county fire, and the rescue squad as well,” he said.

“Patrol deputies are now out surveying the county looking for trees and power lines down so notifications can be made,” Lucas said. “Calls have slowed down but it may be a while before all is back to ‘normal.'”

More information will be added as it becomes available.