Straight-line winds of up to 75 mph are being blamed for widespread damage inflicted mostly in eastern Tallahatchie County when a severe thunderstorm roared through late Wednesday afternoon.
Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency Director Thad Roberts said the silver lining is that there were no initial reports of injuries. "That is the great part," he added.
Roberts stated Wednesday night that preliminary estimates indicate 45 residential structures, including 30 houses and 15 mobile homes, sustained damage — "some major and some minor."
"Most of them have trees across them and they are going to be major," he noted.
Roberts said 27 of the houses were located within the city limits of Charleston and 18 were out in the county, including some on Highway 32 — both east and west of Charleston — as well as on Highway 35 in the Paynes community and along Oak Grove Road northeast of the city.
Dozens of trees — some of historical interest to the area — were uprooted or had large limbs snapped off like toothpicks. Numerous county roads were blocked by fallen trees, and Tallahatchie County Road Department crews were out in force late Wednesday working to remove them.
A section of the metal roof that covered the elevated walkway from Tallahatchie General Hospital to the James C. Kennedy Wellness Center was ripped off, and there was other damage to buildings there. At the TGH administrative offices, a tree fell onto the garage and smashed a truck that was parked outside.
Numerous other vehicles were reported damaged by trees or flying debris.
Roberts said damage assessments will continue, noting that the number of impacted structures and other property may grow as a result.
Charleston Police Chief Jerry Williams II said a four-block area of northeast Charleston was evacuated after 6 Wednesday night due to a natural gas leak caused when an uprooted tree ruptured a "main gas line" at the corner of Chestnut and Lallie streets.
Williams said the precautionary evacuation involved about 140 people along sections of North Cossar, Gay, Tiger, Pine, Lallie and Chestnut streets. He noted that evacuees were invited to go to the Tallahatchie County Safe Room, located at the corner of Market and Walnut streets, until given the all clear to return to their homes.
The chief said CenterPoint Entergy told him at about 9:30 Wednesday night that repairs were expected to be completed by about 2:30 to 3 a.m. Thursday. However, the work continued into late Thursday morning and it was midday or later Thursday when residents of those neighborhoods were told they could return.
In addition to that gas leak, Williams said a petroleum leak occurred at the Mr. Jiffy convenience store, at the corner of North Cossar and East Gay, when a gas pump was blown over by the storm winds. He said first responders converged on the scene, turned off the breaker to the fuel pump and secured the area.
Roberts said the Safe Room was opened at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. More than two-dozen people sought refuge there as severe weather approached the county three hours later.
Tallahatchie County was under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, in addition to a Tornado Watch, at the time.
Because of the thunderstorm warning, Roberts said his office triggered the county's 13 community-based alert sirens at 4:25 p.m.
"No tornado," Roberts noted, when asked about the nature of the storm. "Straight-line winds is what we're saying right now. That could change."
Due to advance forecasts of the severe weather outbreak, many schools and businesses in the area either were closed all day Wednesday or closed early Wednesday afternoon.
