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150 structures suffer storm damage in Caldwell County

By Dave Faherty, wsoctv.com and Elsa Gillis
By Dave Faherty, wsoctv.com and Elsa Gillis

CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — Cleanup crews used bulldozers and heavy equipment Tuesday to clear trees from roads and reach homes in Caldwell County, one of the hardest-hit areas during Monday's storms.

Officials reported 150 homes and outbuildings were damaged during the storm and they expect that number to rise as crews continue to assess the damage.

“It was unreal. Never seen anything like it,” Granite Falls resident Tyler Sanders said.

Sanders recorded video on his cellphone seconds after getting an emergency alert for a tornado warning.

“(It was) absolutely complete white. It was like you were up in the clouds, like in a plane being able to see the clouds,” Sanders said.

[Chopper 9 flies over storm damage]

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In his video, tree limbs and debris whipped by, hitting his glass windows.

“(I was) scared. If you’re not scared, you’re crazy,” he said.

Sanders told Channel 9 it sounded like a train coming through.

His neighbors said the worst of the storm only lasted a couple of minutes. They went outside to see damage that included an awning ripped off a carport or shed.

Channel 9 meteorologists said it likely was a tornado. Surveyors with the National Weather Service will determine that Tuesday.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of trees snapped or were uprooted. Many homes were in the dark Monday night after trees and limbs brought power lines down with them.

“(We’re going to) dig out some more flashlights, get ready to call the insurance company and see how we start to put our lives back together,” Steven Heffner said.

No one in Caldwell County was seriously hurt.

Crews were working as fast as they could to clear fallen trees and restore power. Several roads remained closed Tuesday morning.

Grace Chapel Road is open for primarily residential traffic. On the section of Grace Chapel Road from Highway 321 to New Farm Road, sheriff's deputies and highway patrolmen are checking IDs to make sure the drivers are residents in the area.

A shelter was set up at South Caldwell High School for those who could not reach their homes and could not find shelter anywhere else. It will remain open through Tuesday night.

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