About 8,500 people in the Carolinas are without power early this afternoon, following Sunday’s severe storms. Most of those outages were in the Greenville-Spartanburg area. The storms were remnants of Hurricane Nate that moved through the area yesterday. Thirteen tornado warnings were issued in both states. Here’s the storm as recorded by the Sheriff’s office in Caldwell County near Highway 321.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwYtZXIWISs&feature=share
A National Weather Service official says crews are inspecting seven sites to confirm if tornadoes touched down, including the one in Caldwell County. The National Weather Service had not confirmed any of the reports of tornadoes by early afternoon Monday.
A mobile home park was evacuated, a 20-foot tall steeple at Refuge Missionary Baptist Church was toppled and some homes were damaged by a possible tornado.
American Red Cross officials estimate that 30 homes were damaged and have opened a shelter at South Caldwell High School. In a press release, Jerri Jameson, the organization’s regional communications officer said, “It’s heart-breaking to see the destruction this storm has caused…Red Cross workers are here now, providing shelter, food and comfort, and to help our neighbors begin to recover.”
In Burke County, local media report one man was trapped under debris during the storm. He was rescued with non-life threatening injuries. A volunteer firefighter in Morganton has died after being hit by a car last night while he was clearing storm debris. Triple Community Fire Department officials say 40-year-old Jason Hensley was wearing reflective gear when he was struck on Highway 70. Randall Stewart, 58, was charged with driving while impaired.
National Weather Service officials say there were no reported tornadoes in Mecklenburg County, which experienced mainly moderate to heavy rain.
