Severe storms leave power outages, downed trees in Durham
ACROSS THE TRIANGLE FROM
TONIGHT. SEVERE WEATHER.
THE MENACING LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS PACKED WITH HEAVY
RAIN AND HAIL, DESTRUCTIVE
WINDS.
>> RIPPED THROUGH THE TRIANGLE
TODAY LEAVING MORE THAN 90,000
PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER. HOMES
DESTROYED AND CARS CRUSHED.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
I'M GERALD OWENS AND I'M LENA
TILLETT AT THE PEAK OF THE
STORM ABOUT 42% OF ALL DUKE
ENERGY CUSTOMERS IN DURHAM WERE
LEFT IN THE DARK AND A 32 CAR
PILEUP ON I-40 BROUGHT TRAFFIC
TO A HALT. WRAL HAS CREWS
POSITIONED ALL THROUGHOUT THE
HARDEST HIT AREAS. TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS STILL
WITHOUT POWER IN DURHAM THIS
EVENING AND WITH LOWS ONLY
DIPPING INTO THE 70'S, IT'S
GOING TO BE AN UNCOMFORTABLE
NIGHT. THE BUREAU'S AARON
THOMAS IS LIVE ON CHEEK ROAD.
JUST ONE OF THE AREAS HEAVILY
DAMAGED BY TONIGHT. STORMS
AARON.
>> GERALYN ARE THESE OF PEOPLE
ON THIS ROAD OR DEALING WITH
DOWNED TREES, SNAPPED POWER
LINES AND A LOT OF DAMAGE.
TONIGHT WE'RE TAKING YOU TO
SEVERAL OTHER AREAS AROUND THE
BULL ONE OF THE HARDEST HIT
AREAS HEAR FROM THE STORM.
>> YOU COULD SAY THIS VIEW WAS
A WARNING SIGN OF WHAT'S TO
COME HEAVY RAINFALL SOAKED
ACROSS DURHAM BULLS, ATHLETIC
PARK BEFORE GAME TIME WHEN THE
STORM CLEARED, IT LEFT BEHIND
THIS S DOWNTOWN AND MANY
NEIGHBORHOODS. AND I STARTED
HERE STILL POPPING.
>> EVERYWHERE. YOU KNOW, I SAW
THESE LINES GO DOWN AND THAT
POWER LINE RIGHT THERE, SNAP
TIM HORTON'S HOME ON CHEEK
ROAD, JUST FEET AWAY FROM WHERE
POWER POLES SNAPPED IN HALF
AND A MASSIVE TREES WERE
UPROOTED FROM THE I WAS WORRIED
ABOUT THIS BIG ONE RIGHT HERE
FOR SURE. BUT I JUST THAT'S THE
REASON I STAYED ON THE PORCH
JUST IN CASE IT COME MY WAY.
I CAN RUN AND GET OUT FROM
UNDER THE
>> PLACES LIKE REDWOOD ROAD
BECAME IMPASSABLE WITH LARGE
TREES IN THE WAY GRAVESTONES AT
MAPLEWOOD CEMETERY WERE DAMAGED
FROM FALLEN TREES OVER AT DUKE
UNIVERSITY. SEVERAL HUGE TREES
WERE STRONG ABOUT THE CAMPUS
LIMBS AND BRANCHES EVERYWHERE.
TREE SNAPPED IN HALF AND ON
HILLANDALE ROAD AND INDIAN
TRAIL. A CAR WAS STUCK ON THE
SIDE OF THE ROAD. POWER LINES
DOWN ALL ACROSS THE
INTERSECTION OF CREATING A REAL
MESS. MANDY PITS THANKFUL TO
HAVE MADE IT HOME SAFELY AFTER
DRIVING THROUGH THE FEROCIOUS
STORM, THE WIND WAS JUST LIKE
MOVING THE CARS AROUND LIKE IT
WAS CRAZY.
>> YEAH, CERTAINLY CRAZY FOR A
LOT OF THE FOLKS THAT LIVE IN
THIS COMMUNITY. NOW, THERE WERE
SEVERAL ROADS THAT WERE CLOSED
AS A RESULT OF THE STORMS.
OLD OX ROAD HARDY ROAD AT LAST
CHECK. THERE ARE STILL MORE
THAN 60,000 CUSTOMERS AND DRIVE
ALONG THAT STILL DO NOT HAVE
POWER AS A RESULT. YOU HAVE
SOME PEOPLE LIKE THE GENTLEMAN
NEXT TO ME, 10 HERNDON THAT
YOU HEARD FROM. HE HAS A
GENERATOR. SOME OTHER FOLKS
ARE JUST TRYING TO FIND A WAY
TO BIDE THEIR TIME UNTIL THAT
POWER IS RESTORED. CAROL.
ALL RIGHT. IT'S A
>> HORRIBLE NIGHT FOR THOSE
FOLKS. WE HOPE IT GETS RESTORED
QUICKLY. THE WRAL WEATHER ALERT
DAY LIVED UP TO ITS MEANING AND
A LITTLE MORE THAN AN HOUR AGO.
AND WHAT A DAY AND WAS WITH
DOZENS OF REPORTS OF DAMAGE.
METEOROLOGIST KAT CAMPBELL HAS
BEEN FOLLOWING THIS, OF COURSE,
FOR HOURS. CAT, YOU HAVE SOME
NEW NUMBERS ON JUST HOW STRONG
THE STORMS WERE, PARTICULARLY
IN DURHAM. AND, YOU KNOW, THE
ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT
DURHAM SAW AND THE EF 0 TORNADO
IS THAT THE WINDS WEREN'T
TWISTING. THEY WERE ALL MOVING
IN ONE DIRECTION. SO THE
STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS ARE 70 TO
80 MILES PER HOUR. AT THE
SURFACE. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF
THE RADAR ESTIMATED WIND
SPEEDS. 86 90 TO 74 MILES PER
HOUR. A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN
THAT. ONCE THE WINDS REACH THE
SURFACE. BUT THESE ARE
HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AS WELL.
SO VERY POWERFUL WINDS PASSED
THROUGH, ESPECIALLY AROUND
DURHAM AND CHAPEL HILL. AND
THAT'S WHAT WE TOLD YOU THIS
AFTERNOON TO TREAT THEM LIKE
TORNADO WARNINGS WITH JUST HOW
POWERFUL THEY WERE. YOU CAN SEE
ALL OF THE STORM REPORTS THAT
WE HAD THE AREA WE HAD 60
REPORTS OF STORM DAMAGE FROM
THE STORMS TODAY AND THERE WERE
24 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS
TOTAL AND 3 FLASH FLOOD
WARNINGS. A VERY BUSY DAY AND
THE RADAR STILL REMAINS ACTIVE
AT THIS HOUR. BUT THIS SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT IS OVER. SO YOU
MAY STILL HEAR SOME THUNDER
TONIGHT. SEE SOME LIGHTNING IN
THE DISTANCE AND HEAR SOME
RAIN. BUT THE RAIN IS MOVING
EAST AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO
CLEAR OUT. COMING UP, I'LL HAVE
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE COLD FRONT
PASSING THROUGH. LET YOU KNOW
WHEN WE SHOULD FINALLY SEE A
LITTLE BIT OF A DROP IN
TEMPERATURES, WHETHER IT WILL
BE ENOUGH TO HELP THOSE THAT
MAY STRUGGLE TO GET THEIR POWER
MOUNT THINKING OF THEM. THANK
YOU, KAT. ALL RIGHT. MANY
STREETS IN DURHAM STILL
IMPASSABLE TONIGHT AFTER THOSE
TREES CAME DOWN ONTO CARS,
HOMES AND ROADS. FIRST
RESPONDERS SAY THIS IS THE
WORST DAMAGE THEY'VE SEEN IN
YEARS.
>> WR IS THEIR KILLER JOINS US
FROM ANDERSON STREET IN
CRANFORD ROAD WHERE A TREE
CRUSHED A CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE STREET. THERE.
>> THAT'S YOUR OLD TODAY.
WE'VE HEARD COMPARISONS THIS
DAMAGE, THE HURRICANE DAMAGE
AND LOOKING AROUND. YOU CAN SEE
WHY THIS IS AN INTERSECTION.
IT'S BEEN ABSOLUTELY SHATTERED.
JUST LOOK AT THIS RIGHT HERE.
WE HAVE TRAFFIC LIGHTS DANGLING
FROM THE BRANDED BRANCHES OF
A TREE THAT HAS THIS ROAD
COMPLETELY BLOCKED AND DOWN
HERE ON THE GROUND IN FRONT
OF ME, THEY'RE SHATTERED GLASS
EVERYWHERE IN THE AIR. THERE'S
THE SMELL OF OIL. ALL THAT'S
LEFT OF THAT CORE THAT WAS
PARTIALLY CRUSHED EARLIER THIS
AFTERNOON IN A SENSE BEEN TOWED
AWAY. WANT TO SEND YOU NOW TO A
PHOTO OF THAT SCENE. THIS IS
WHAT THINGS LOOKED LIKE THIS
AFTERNOON. YOU LOOK IN THE
BACKGROUND THERE. YOU CAN JUST
MAKE OUT THE END OF THAT BLACK
SUV, THE FRONT AND TRAPPED UP
UNDERNEATH THIS TREE. WE'RE
STILL WORKING TONIGHT TO LEARN
THE CONDITION OF THAT DRIVER,
NEIGHBORS IN THE AREA. THEY
TELL US THE POWER WENT OUT
RIGHT AROUND 4.30. THAT'S WHEN
THEY THINK THIS TREE CAME DOWN.
AND WHEN IT DID COME DOWN, IT
MADE AN ABSOLUTE, MASSIVE
CRUSHED FENCES, SNAPPED POWER
POLES BROUGHT DOWN LINES AND
LIGHTS. THIS IS ALL STUFF THAT
IS GOING TO TAKE HOURS AND
HOURS TO FIX. AND THE THING IS
TONIGHT, CREWS ARE SO BUSY.
THERE IS SO MUCH DAMAGE ALL
ACROSS DURHAM RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S NO REAL ESTIMATE ON
WHEN THIS ROAD COULD REOPEN
AGAIN. CRANFORD ROAD. AND
ANDERSON STREET IS CLOSED
BLOCKS IN EVERY DIRECTION.
DPD OFFICERS OUT HERE TRYING
TO DIVERT TRAFFIC. BUT, YOU
KNOW, AGAIN, THIS MESS, IT IS
SO BIG. THERE'S SO MUCH OF IT
EVERYWHERE ACROSS THE CITY.
IT IS GOING TO BE HOURS MAYBE
DAYS BEFORE ALL GETS CLEARED
UP. RESIDENTS WHO ARE WITHOUT
POWER AND IS GOING TO BE
DIFFICULT DAYS NEED TO BE
PATIENT TO DO THE JOB. AND, YOU
KNOW, THE POWER CREWS ARE
WORKING. THEY'RE OUT THERE
DOING THE BEST THEY CAN GET
BACK ON. BILL IS TOO.
>> THANKS, SIR.
>> GOOD EVENING. I'M MARK BOYLE
IN THE WRAL LIVE CENTER
FLOODING WAS A BIG ISSUE THIS
EVENING. SOME NEW VIDEO FROM
JOHNSTON COUNTY TO SHOW YOU
NOW. TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR
SCREEN. THIS IS ONE LOCATION
WHERE CREWS HAD THE ROAD
BLOCKED OFF THEIR MARKET STREET
IN SMITHFIELD, A DRIVER
ACTUALLY, WE'RE BEING TOLD,
WENT AROUND FIREFIGHTERS AND
DROVE STRAIGHT INTO THE WATERS.
THAT CAR TOTALED FIREFIGHTERS
WHO HAVE THE ROAD BLOCKED OFF,
ENDED UP HAVING TO RESCUE THAT
WOMAN FROM THE VEHICLE. WE'RE
ACTUALLY TOLD OTHER CARS TRYING
TO GO AROUND EMERGENCY
RESPONDERS TO THE ROAD CLOSED.
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER REMINDER
OF WHAT SOME OF THE ROADS FOR
LIKE THIS AFTERNOON AND
SOMETHING TO BE AWARE OF WHEN
THESE STRONG STORMS COME
THROUGH AND DUMP A LOT OF RAIN
IN A QUICK AMOUNT OF TIME
TALKING WITH THE POWER OUTAGES
RIGHT NOW. I WANT TO SHOW YOU
HERE IN A DURHAM. THIS WHITE
BOX GIVES US THE UPDATE RIGHT
NOW AT 10. 0, 7, THE NUMBER
OF CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER.
66,000 ALL AFTERNOON. THAT
NUMBER WAS RIGHT AROUND 67,000.
IT HAS NOT BUDGED. CREWS ARE
HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING
THINGS RESTORED OUT THERE AND
WAKE COUNTY NUMBER RIGHT AROUND
3,490, THAT HAS SEEN SOME
IMPROVEMENT. AND FINALLY OUT TO
ORANGE COUNTY. ALSO SOME
IMPROVEMENT, 8,556 CUSTOMERS IN
THE DARK. DURHAM IS GOING TO
BE ON A SLOW GO AS CREWS ARE
OUT THERE. WE'LL GET A LIVE
UPDATE FROM DUKE POWER COMING
UP AT 10, 30 COURTNEY, AN
UPDATE FOR US FROM PUBLIC
SCHOOLS TO BE CLOSED TOMORROW
DUE TO HAZARDOUS ROADS. ALL THE
SCHOOLS. ALL RIGHT. SO DURHAM,
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, ALL SCHOOLS.
>> ALL RIGHT. ALL SCHOOLS IN
DURHAM CLOSED TOMORROW. THAT'S
QUITE A SIGNIFICANT UPDATE.
LET ME CHECK ONE THING. WHAT
MURRAY CAN COME OVER HERE.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU
READ THIS ONE. A PUSH ON THIS
DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS DUE TO
HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS AND
WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES ON THE
SCREEN UPDATE THERE ON THE
E-MAIL. ALL SCHOOLS WILL BE
CLOSED. SO HEADS UP ON THAT.
IF YOU HAVE SOME STUDENTS THAT
ARE GETTING READY TO SLEEP, GO
TO SCHOOL TOMORROW, THEY WILL
NOT BE IN SESSION. VERY BIG
IMPACT HERE. ABSOLUTELY.
THANK YOU, MARK. MUCH LIKE
DURHAM, RALEIGH IS MASSIVE
TREES TOPPLED. A STRONG WINDS
CAME THROUGH WRAL'S. JULIAN
GRACE JOINS US LIVE FROM TIMBER
CREEK LANE IN RALEIGH. WHERE
PART OF THE APARTMENT COMPLEX
THERE WAS DAMAGE. JULIAN.
>> WELL, WE KNOW SOME RESIDENTS
IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEY SAY
THEY HEARD THE STRONG WINDS
AND THEY SIMPLY THOUGHT THAT
MAYBE A COUPLE OF BRANCHES.
>> JUST CAME TUMBLING DOWN TO
THE GROUND. BUT THEN THEY
STEPPED OUTSIDE. LET ME SHOW
YOU THIS. THIS TREE RIGHT HERE
WENT RIGHT INTO THIS BUILDING.
>> IT IS QUITE A MESS AT THE
TIMBERS APARTMENTS NEAR
GLENWOOD AVENUE JUST PICKED
UP OUT OF AND WE JUST NOTICED
IT WAS RAINY AND THUNDERY AT
FIRST.
>> AND THEN WE START TO SEE
BRANCHES FALL FROM THE SKY.
PRETTY MUCH JUST ABOUT IT
SEEMED LIKE IT WAS BLOWN OFF
THE ROOF AND IT DID IN SOME
SPOTS, LITERALLY A LOT TO GO
GET SOME FOOD. AND I WALKED
OUTSIDE AND CHASED ARE
FOLLOWING THE DEPARTMENT LESS
THAN 7 MILES AWAY. A VIEWER
SENT IN THIS VIDEO OF FLASH
FLOODING IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH.
AND AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM,
MORE THAN 12,000 DUKE ENERGY
CUSTOMERS WERE WITHOUT POWER IN
WAKE COUNTY. THEN ANOTHER
VIEWER CAPTURED THIS.
>> HAIL COMING DOWN IN THE OAK
CITY. THE STORM CONTINUED IS
PASSED THROUGH WAKE COUNTY
TOPPLING TREES ON BOOKS, PORT
LANE AND CREEDMORE ROAD FORCING
CLOSURES.
>> COMING BACK OUT HERE LIVE
REMARKABLY, WE CAN TELL YOU
THAT NO RESIDENTS WERE
DISPLACED BECAUSE OF THIS TREE,
BUT WE KNOW THERE'S STILL SOME
THREATS OUT HERE BECAUSE SOME
OF THESE BRANCHES ARE LOOSE
VEHICLES ARE PARKED RIGHT UNDER
THE TREES HERE. YOU KNOW,
JULIAN, I WAS JUST THINKING
ABOUT HOW I'M NERVOUS ABOUT
DRIVING HOME. THERE ARE SO MANY
BEAUTIFUL TREES IN OUR
COMMUNITY, BUT THEIR FORM LIKE
THIS LOOK UP. THEY'RE GOING
TO START FALLING BECAUSE ALL
RIGHT, JULIAN GRACE REPORTING
LIVE FOR US. THANK YOU.
>> ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC
IMAGES DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE
STORM WAS A 32 VEHICLE CRASH
ON I-40 WEST. THERE'S A VIDEO
FROM THE GROUND. AMAZINGLY, NO
SERIOUS INJURIES IN THIS CRASH.
IT DID IMPACT MORE THAN THOSE
DIRECTLY INVOLVED AS WELL,
THOUGH THE INTERSTATE WAS
CLOSED FOR HOURS. WRAL'S WILL
LEAD AN EARLY. JOINING US LIVE
FROM I-40 IN DURHAM. BRING US
UP TO SPEED HERE. WHAT'S THE
LATEST IN TERMS OF THE
INTERSTATE BEING OPEN OR NOT?
>> THEY LOOK LIKE NORMAL
TRAFFIC NOW. BUT LET ME TELL
YOU A FEW HOURS AGO, THIS WAS A
HECTIC SCENE IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE SEVERE WEATHER. A 32 CAR
PILEUP CLOSED. I-40 WEST HERE
IN DURHAM FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
WRAL'S MONICA CASES SPOKE TO
ONE OF THOSE
>> WITH MORE THAN 30 CARS IN
THE CRASH. A HANDFUL WERE
CRUNCHED TOGETHER DESPITE ALL
THAT DAMAGE, INCLUDING A CAR
CRUSHED UNDER A SEMI TRUCK.
NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
ONE OF THOSE DRIVERS WAS HOLLY
CAPPER. SHE'S MOVING BACK HOME
TO WISCONSIN WITH HER DOG ARE
LOW. TODAY WE PACKED EVERYTHING
UP. THEY WERE HEADED BACK AND
WE GOT WHAT?
>> FROM RALEIGH, ABOUT TO WHERE
WE ARE IN OUR PARENTS HAD TO
PULL THE TRAILER OVER BECAUSE
OF HIGH WINDS. SHE WENT ON
AHEAD. I SAW THAT THERE WAS
A STOP. SO I SLAMMED ON THE
BRAKES. AVERAGE TELLS ME CARS
WERE HYDROPLANING TRYING TO
AVOID EACH OTHER. SO I GOT HIT.
MY DOG JUMPED INTO MY LAP AND I
GOT HIT AGAIN.
>> OUT THE WINDOW. AND THEN I
ENDED UP FACING THE OTHER WAY.
>> STOP FURTHER UP THE ROAD.
IS CAR WAS ALSO TOTALED HER
BACK. WINDSHIELD WIPER LEFT
BEHIND THE WINDSHIELD BELOW.
NOW I MOVED OVER.
>> TO AVOID HITTING AND THEN I
WAS PLAYING THE BALL.
>> JUST AFTER 6 POLICE DIRECTED
THE CRASH CARS TO THE SHOULDER
AROUND 7. THEY WERE DIVERTING
TRAFFIC OFF
>> TAPPER CALLS HERSELF LUCKY.
SHE AND OUR LOW ARE READY TO
GET BACK ON THE ROAD.