Residents cleaning up after storm

Ledger photo / RODGER PAINTER Strong winds accompanying Friday's severe thunderstorm toppled several large trees in Gaffney. A tree took out a section of picket fence as it fell in the yard of a house on College Drive. A severe storm packing 50 mph winds swept through the city Friday, downing trees, damaging homes and businesses and causing sporadic power outages.

Cherokee County Emergency Preparedness Director Rick Peterson said there was as many as 20 initial reports of property damage caused by uprooted trees or falling branches. There also was an unconfirmed report of a minor injury as a result of the storm, he said.

"It was a pretty powerful storm," Peterson said. "It didn't last long but it pushed down some trees."

The storm blew out a large window at Vic's Tire and Auto Service on Frederick Street. Several hundred yards away on a hill near the county detention center, a crew armed with chain saws on Saturday removed the branches of a massive tree ripped from the ground by the storm.

Another large tree destroyed a portion of a white picket fence in the front yard of a house on College Drive. The tree also toppled onto College Drive, turning that portion briefly into a singlelane road for motorists.

STORM DAMAGE- Top photo, Scott Wright and Shannon Erwin salvage the debris of several storage buildings which were demolished by high winds at Lowe's of Gaffney on Baker Blvd. during the severe storm Friday afternoon. The two said that about 10 of the buildings in Lowe's parking lot were destroyed and other outdoor equipment was damaged. Bottom photo shows a tree in front of Lowe's that was downed by the storm. The county Emergency Operations Center recorded winds as high as 54 mph. But Peterson said some wind gusts likely were much higher because of the large trees that were toppled.

A homeowner on Redwood Drive said trees in her front yard were snapped by the high winds. She said she has never experienced storm damage like this before.

"I just have been all over and I haven't seen anything like this," she said. "It looks like a war zone."

Lowe's of Gaffney had about 10 storage buildings in its parking lot destroyed and other outdoor equipment damaged by the storm.

Ledger photos / RODGER PAINTER Two Gaffney Board of Public Works power poles were destroyed by either falling limbs or a lightning strike, general manager Donnie Hardin said.

There were sporadic outages as a result of damage to service lines, he said.

Most of the power was restored shortly after the storm passed, Hardin said.

Another storm struck the area on Saturday, but no damage was reported.