MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Severe storms Saturday knocked electricity out for nearly half of the Mon Power customers in Monongalia County and caused multiple reports of tree damage.
Monongalia County MECCA 911 Executive Director Jim Smith said damage reports began flooding the dispatch center around 6 p.m. Saturday and fielded more than 250 calls. The calls came in so quickly that first responders had to prioritize the calls, taking care of the most serious issues first.
“Responders were trying to get to the most critical calls first,” Smith said. “You only have so many responders out working, and when you receive that call that quickly, they start stacking.”
Smith said at one point as many as 48,000 county residents were without electricity. There were no injuries reported.
“We had 94 calls for trees down, we received 15 calls of trees down into structures, and we were looking at 54 calls for wires down or wires arching,” Smith said.
Mon Power spokesman Will Boye said their crews are working as quickly and as safely as possible to restore service, but crews will need a significant amount of time to make repairs in the hardest-hit areas.
While repairs are underway, Boye urged caution for residents using generators. Always keep generators outside, away from windows and doors, and well ventilated to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
“Right now, we expect to have most of our Mon Power customers by the end of the day today and by 11 p.m. Tuesday for some of the hardest-hit areas in Monongalia, Marion, and Preston Counties,” Boye said.
Boye said crews have been working since Saturday, and in some areas assessments are continuing as restoration work continues.
“We had a lot of extensive damage. We had 40 to 50 broken poles, lots of wire down, a lot of tree damage, and broken cross arms,” Boye said. “That system included winds of 60 to 70 miles per hour.”
Chestnut Ridge Park and Campground Superintendent Corwin Hoban said a guest was staying in the Klaer Cabin when a tree was blown onto the roof. The occupants were able to escape uninjured. But, he said the Pine Cabin was extensively damaged by a tree and may not be salvageable.
“We have to see how much damage is done to the roof and get some windows replaced, and other things at least,” Hoban said. “Pine Cabin? I’m not sure we’ll be able to reopen; it might be done for.”
Eastern Panhandle sustains storm damage
Thousands of people in the Eastern Panhandle and north into Washington County, MD lost power during a severe wind storm that blew threw the area Saturday night.
A severe thunderstorm warning came through just after 9:30 p.m.
Will Astle of West Virginia Eastern Panhandle Weather said the National Weather Service confirmed a “wall of winds” of 60 to 75 miles an hour came through north Berkeley County.
“Multiple buildings” were damaged in Morgan County, Berkeley County, and Washington County according to first responders. Lightning reportedly set off some house fires in the region, according to the Hagerstown Police Department, who asked the public for patience as first responders worked to respond to calls.
The wind reportedly ripped the roof off the town hall in Hedgesville and resulted in hundreds of calls for first responders including for structure collapses. As many as eight power poles were knocked down on West Virginia Rt. 901 and motorists reported trees down in the road on Interstate 81.
The eagles nest at the NCTC in Shepherdstown was blown apart during the storm. The three eaglets that hatched last month did not survive the 90 foot fall to the ground.
Morgan County Emergency Services is reminding motorists to please do not drive around coned off sections of roadway or remove cones, signs or cautions tape as we has had several close calls with the power crews that are working to try to restore due to vehicle traffic on closed sections of road.
WEPM’s Marsha Kavalek contributed to this story.