Friday, May 1, 2009

Friday Afternoon Storm Wreaks Havoc

   A storm system blew through the area Friday afternoon causing a delay in the dismissal of area schools and wreaking havoc in the Napier area.

   Heavy rains, strong winds and the threat of tornadic activity sent school officials scrambling. The determination was made to place all local schools into “lock down” mode. Students were sent to their safe place designations inside the various buildings and the dismissal of schools was delayed by around an hour.

   A storm that passed through the Napier area near the Lawrence/Lewis County line was strong enough to flip a semi truck parked at a home and topple a number of campers inside the NACO resort. Trees were downed, as were some power lines. Trees blocked roadways inside the NACO complex, forcing some to evacuate by boat to seek medical attention. Injuries were said to be minor in nature.

   Railroad Bed Pike in the Summertown was also hard hit. Emergency workers were summoned to the area to help clear trees from the roadways.

   Around an inch of rain fell during the height of the storm and some serious winds were detected. Also, some areas experienced flash flooding.