Early Tuesday morning, powerful winds lifted a carport off the ground, thrashing it into an electrical pole along Pete Hampton Drive next to the CVS Pharmacy location on Highway 19E.
The pole broke at the base, and crews from the Elizabethton Electric Department were on scene from 2:30 a.m. till about noon, according to Department Manager Rob Toney.
“This didn’t cause a power outage,” said Toney, explaining all power lines were still intact at this location.
To keep the power connected, crews kept the wires live, using appropriate protective gear. The pole connected to two circuits, so disconnecting it for the time it would take to replace the pole could be a major inconvenience for residents.
Replacing the pole was “easier said than done,” Toney said, referencing the nearly 10-hour project.
The pole connects to two circuits, but the primary difficulty came from the fact that crews were working with live wires.
“It is dangerous, but they do this sort of work regularly and always take safety precautions,” said Toney.
Wind speeds on Tuesday morning ranged from 14-16 miles per hour, with wind gust at 18-24 miles per hour.
USA Storage owner Daniel Lewis, who is also the owner of the carport, said the carport was secured but the gusts of wind were stronger.
Some power outages took place elsewhere, but Toney said these were the result of trees falling on lines and were unrelated to the liftoff of the carport.
One tree fell on a home in the 500 block of Watauga Avenue, damaging the roof and awnings. According to a police report, Sgt. Curtis Bullock was unable to assess full damages due to the large size of the pine tree, which is reportedly located in an area with several different properties. Bullock advised the resident to contact the owner of the tree so he may report this to his insurance agency following Bullock’s property damage report.