Severe weather storms through parts of Central NC, leaves trail of damage; Wendell hit hard
RALEIGH N.C. (WTVD) -- Strong storms swept through Wendell Falls on Saturday evening, bringing high winds, heavy rain and power outages that left damage across the community in Wake County.
Residents reported widespread impacts from the storm, which downed dozens of trees, damaged property and knocked out electricity for hours.
"It came in really, really fast. And we were like, 'What is going on?'" said Taylor Bohn, a Wendell Falls resident.
According to ABC11's First Alert Doppler Net, wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph were detected in the Wendell Falls area shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday.
Bohn said the winds caused significant damage at her home.
"We look out back. Our whole patio basically was gone. All of our Adirondack chairs were gone. And then our daughters had a little dollhouse that's like a little play wooden house, apparently just blew completely. Basically it looks like it exploded," she said.
Brandon Rose said he encountered dangerous conditions while driving as the storm moved through the area.
"I was actually in the car driving out to the grocery store, and I had to stop and pull over because it was just so bad. I couldn't see five feet in front of my car. I mean, it was just coming down in sheets and like, I turned around and went home because it was hailing," Rose said.
The storm's winds toppled dozens of trees throughout the neighborhood, with some trees split in half.
"One of our neighbors across the street, their like huge, super developed tree is just flat, which is crazy just to see," Bohn said.
The winds also blew part of the roof off a gas station on Wendell Falls Parkway.
Power outages affected thousands of people in the area for several hours Saturday, impacting businesses, traffic signals and homes.
"The businesses are all closed down. They've got no power, they've got signs in those windows saying, 'Closed due to no power, opening tomorrow,'" Rose said.
Despite the damage, residents expressed gratitude that conditions were not more severe and praised emergency responders working in the aftermath.
"I just am hopeful that everyone can stay safe. All the firefighters and all the police. I just thank them for being first responders and going into the danger," Bohn said.
Moore County
Multiple trees are down on roadways across the county, and community members have come out to help first responders' clear debris in Moore County.
A tree also fell onto a vehicle along U.S. Highway 15-501, shutting down the roadway. The driver was taken to a hospital. Officials told ABC11 the driver was alert and did not appear to have life-threatening injuries.
According to ABC11 photojournalist Patrick Priest, the tree fell onto a neighbor's car and power lines during the storm.
Fayetteville Storm Damage Photos
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