The analysis of last Friday evening’s story will continue as long as the impact. Was it a tornado or straight-line winds? Regardless, the storm was deadly and left in its path a lot of damage, which will not easily be erased.
From cleanups to tree cutting and trimming, to decisions about what to do about damaged timber, there are chapters yet to be written on a storm that likely will be ranked among the worst overall in Elizabethton and Carter County’s history. Ranking storms in many cases is a story of individual impact: If you lost power for a long time, had significant damage or face a lot of cleanup, rest assured that plenty face the same kind of task.
Many people were without power until late Sunday and Monday. Some scattered problems still remain today. However, over the weekend, many people have praised and thanked utility workers for their efforts to bring back the power to everyone, a task that began as quickly as the storm moved through Friday evening. Also to be commended are crews from the Carter County Road Department, the Elizabethton Street Department, and numerous volunteers who worked around the clock to cut trees and to remove them from roads.
The weekend storm knocked down numerous trees and power lines, cutting power to more than 3,000 residents in the city and county at the peak of the outages. At one point Friday night and Saturday almost all of West G Street and many arterial streets in the city were without power. Transformers dangled from poles, some of which snapped in the storm. Trees brought power lines down. Fallen trees were no respecters of property. Some fell on houses and vehicles.
Luckily, but regretfully, there were only two fatalities from the storm. Former Circuit Court Clerk John Paul Mathes and his wife, Robin, were killed when a tree fell on their tent while they were camping at Watauga Lake. The fatality number could easily have been much higher as the storm was ferocious and came quickly. A number of boats were on the lake, and several owners were in their docked boats. Others were in their vehicles on the highway when the storm struck.
As we searched for just the right words to describe the effort put forth by utility workers and cleanup crews in the aftermath of the story, only “thank you” seemed appropriate. Utility employees worked around the clock to restore electricity to houses left darkened after the storm. Disruptions were widespread. No area of the county was exempt. Outside crews were brought in to hasten the work along. Yet, it was not fast enough for some homeowners, who complained about it “taking too long” to get the power back on. The complainers need to be reminded that the workers want your lights back on, too. The quicker they get your lights on, the sooner they get to go home. During storms, they work endless days with little rest and no regular meals.
Police and deputies across the city and county were scrambling from the time the storm hit until roads could be navigated again. Many traffic lights were out in the city until late Saturday.
Every once in a while Mother Nature throws a curve ball, and when she does, it usually causes a lot of havoc.
It’s when the havoc occurs we often see the best in people as we did this weekend when utility crews, law enforcement, first responders, and street and road crews were out in force and on the job around the clock. They were working everywhere in the city and county, from high visibility spots in the city to side roads in the county.
Their duties look beyond the ability of humans. Many homes today are glowing with lights and the dancing images of television in neighborhoods that a few days ago resembled a war zone — power poles snapped like matchsticks, electrical transmission lines torn to the ground by falling trees, and roadways strewn with limbs and other tree debris.
Workers in hard hats, steel-toed boots and heavy protective gear are getting the job done. They won’t really rest until the work is completed.
On behalf of a city and county that is both storm-weary and sorrowful about our losses, we thank our utility workers for their noble efforts and dedication to their jobs and especially to the citizens of this community.