Trees, utility poles scattered around county

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

A volunteer waits to help with clean-up work after heavy winds ripped the steeple from atop First Church of God on New Smithville Highway Thursday. The late-afternoon storm left widespread damage. (Duane Sherrill photo)

Heavy winds pounded parts of north Warren County Thursday afternoon, toppling trees and utility poles with some eye-witnesses reporting a funnel cloud near Delores’ Market.

While damage was reported throughout the county, the heaviest concentration of damage appeared to be near the Gath community north of McMinnville off New Smithville Highway. Among the toll was the steeple at the First Church of God on New Smithville Highway which blew off the church roof, leaving behind a gapping hole which church members were scurrying to cover before more rain arrived.

Gerald Curtis said he saw a tornado on Old Smithville Road, just behind the church. There were scores of trees and utility lines toppled onto Old Smithville Road, leaving it impassible into Thursday evening.

“I was sitting in my pick-up and it picked it up and turned it around,” Curtis said, while directing traffic around the sealed off portion of Old Smithville Road where crews were clearing trees. “It appeared to be small one that moved along the road. I thought we were goners.”

Only a few yards away, also on Old Smithville Road, Don Moore said his vehicle was tipped up on two wheels by the winds as he watched the storm roll in.

“I wasn’t able to see any funnel cloud or anything because the rain was so hard I couldn’t see anything,” Moore said, pointing to numerous trees which were toppled in his yard.

The main part of the storm, which moved in around 5 p.m., traveled due east through the county leaving a damage trail through the Centertown-Pigeon Hill area, extending south to Bethany as straight-line winds swept through carrying with them torrential rain.

The heavy winds continued into the Gath area, leaving numerous trees toppled in its wake along New Smithville Highway and nearby secondary roads. There were also isolated reports of roof damage to residences.

Thursday’s barrage marked the second major line of storms to hit the county within a week. Sunday, Warren County was beset with a pair of strong systems, one of which dropped a damaging twister in nearby Rutherford County.