Storm sweeps through pulling down trees, power lines
Published 12:18 pm Thursday, July 24, 2014
HUNTERDALE—Southampton County Sheriff Jack Stutts said on Thursday morning there were no reports of any accidents or injuries caused by the thunderstorm that came through, pulling down power lines and trees.
Mike Rusnak, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Wakefield, said the storm was intensified by coming ahead of a cold front.
“Winds were 50 to 60 mph, and there were reports of large hail, about one inch in diameter,” said Rusnak.
He said that any other storms that developed later in the day weren’t expected to be as strong as the one Thursday morning.
“Hopefully, just a typical thunderstorm,” he added.
Stutts was on Country Club Road as crew members from Community Electric Cooperative were working to first untangle power lines. Then they had to deal with a pole that had broken in a couple of places. Several yards further down, another tree was fallen across the road.
Stutts also said that when he had left the office to survey the damage, both Bethel and Governor Darden roads were closed in places.
For example, a very large tree at the home of Jessica Keeter on Harvest Drive had snapped and fallen across Bethel Road, blocking passage.
“I wasn’t here when it happened,” said Keeter. “I was taking my son, Charles Jr., to the babysitter. It [the weather] got crazy and I brought him back.”
On returning, she found the tree down.
“It’s old, though. It’s huge,” Keeter said. “I hate that it’s gone.”
Her tree wasn’t the only loss. On its website, the National Weather Service in Wakefield also reported trees down in Sedley. Power outages were reported in Courtland, Hunterdale and Sedley.
“This was more substantial than the last time,” the sheriff said, referring to the storm that hit the Capron area on July 10. Several residents along Main Street, for example, also had to have large tree limbs removed from across a fence, their yards and a pickup truck.
Stutts added that the damage extended from where he was all the way to Courtland. The schools and beyond were reportedly without electricity. Residents who still had power were expecting to have their electricity turned off for an undetermined time as electric companies worked to fix the broken areas. This, said Stutts, would be done to prevent any potential fire hazard.