PETERSBURG, Va (WTVR)- Just as fast as the storm rolled in, it moved out, leaving behind three blocks worth of debris and damage. Some Petersburg residents now have a mess to clean up.
"It came through in a hurry, like it had some place to go,” said Carolyn Jackson. “I'm glad it was getting out of here."
But not before leaving a few hundred in the dark. "Recently my sister was put on oxygen which she has to have throughout the night,” said Jackson. “She's 95, you know."
Dominion Virginia Power crews quickly restored electricity for some living on Parkview, but others on Fort Lee and Al Roads were still without power late Wednesday.
Easily visible was the top of a pine tree on a power line, as well as shed material out in the open. The shed that covered the tools was in a neighbor’s yard about a hundred feet away."
"I was in the room here, this den area," said James Johnson, who said he heard a cracking sound and rushed through the house to make sure his disabled son was ok. "Kind of scared me for a minute," he said.
The rain was falling so hard he said it made it difficult to see what was going on. “A lot of debris and wind was hitting the house,” Johnson said. “We were getting hail and when I looked out, I couldn't see my neighbor’s door."
An off-duty trooper stopped to lend a helping hand while Petersburg Fire Marshals went door-to-door, checking on residents and surveying the damage. There were trees on homes, lines on the ground, a lot of mess and a few memorable moments.
“My lights said ‘blip-blip’ and I said, ‘We need to move out of this family room!’" said Jackson.
