Ledger photo / TIM GULLA Emergency workers fielded about 100 separate calls for downed power lines and trees on Wednesday as wind gusts of up to 45 mph cracked limbs and uprooted trees from soil saturated by rain. There were two reports of trees falling onto structures with this one on Brookwood Lane in Gaffney accounting for the worst of the damage. The large tree uprooted here sliced through a section of the home where a young woman and her 5-day-old baby had been sitting earlier in the day. Luckily, no one was injured but all of the baby's items, from a portable crib to a bouncy chair, were directly beneath the damaged section of the home. As the wind howled and bent trees all around her, Tina Teague stared in disbelief at her Brookwood Lane home Wednesday afternoon.

A massive tree behind her home was uprooted by the wind and fell, practically slicing the home through the middle like a hot knife through butter.

"I heard it crack and saw it lean," she said.

Knowing her daughter and newborn grandchild had been in her home, she immediately screamed for everyone to get out. Luckily, her daughter and 5-day-old grandchild were next door at the time, but almost all of the baby's items, from a play crib to a bouncy chair, were directly beneath the fallen tree.

Teague likely suffered the worst of Wednesday's wind storm damage but she was not alone.

Firefighters and emergency workers were kept busy throughout the day as wind gusts as high as 45 mph uprooted trees, snapped tree limbs and power poles and downed power lines across Cherokee County.

"We had dozens of reports about trees and power lines falling," said Rodney Hinson of the National Weather Service in Greer. "The wind caused some major problems in Cherokee County."

Rick Peterson, director of Emergency Preparedness for Cherokee County, said the southern portion of the county was hit worse than others but every fire department had been out at one point or another Wednesday.

Altogether, at least 100 emergency calls regarding downed trees or power lines came into his office.

"One good thing about when (something like this) happens, we erase those district lines between the city and county and fire departments," he said. "If we've got someone in the area, we send them down."

Corinth Volunteer Fire Department, CKC Volunteer Fire Department and DMW Volunteer Fire Department were among the busiest departments Wednesday, responding to numerous emergency calls about blocked roadways.

At one point, several members of Corinth Fire Department had to shut down Union Highway because a power pole had snapped and dropped its power lines across the highway, while other members of the department tended to an accident less than a half mile away in which a fallen tree struck a car.

Power service for about 3,000 people in Cherokee County was interrupted at various times throughout the day.

"The wind really took its toll on us," said Broad River Electric Manager of Operations Doug Wilson. "It did a number on our entire system in Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties."

According to Wilson, 2,000 Broad River Electric customers were initially without power. While the electric co-op was able to ease the pain for most of its consumers by Wednesday afternoon, some did not regain service until the next morning.

"We had to deal with several poles that fell, as well as the large number of trees that fell on (power) lines," Wilson said. "I think we were still doing work until 2 to 3 a.m. making sure everyone had electric service."

Close to 1,300 Duke Power customers were in the dark for several hours due to the windy conditions, according to an outage chart on the company's Web site.

Wilson said a safety patrol was sent out early Thursday to make sure the co-op's customers not only received power, but were also safe.

"Whenever you have these storms there is a possibility you'll deal with damage like this," Wilson said. "We want everyone not only to have good service but to be safe as well. So these follow-ups are very important."

Road closures also impacted school bus service, Peterson said, as four buses became temporarily stranded after children were released from school for the day. Firefighters were dispatched in each case to get the school buses back on their way.

Because of the severity of the damage to the Teague family's home on Brookwood Lane, the Gaffney Fire Department asked for the American Red Cross of Cherokee County to respond to the scene.

"Any time it's winter and they have to shut the power off, the fire department makes a determination on whether (a family's) immediate needs can be met without us," said Shellie Wylie, service center manager for the American Red Cross of Cherokee County. "Because there was a newborn baby involved, too, it steps up the urgency."

Wylie and another volunteer were on the scene within minutes of being called, donning their Red Cross vests and carrying bags of emergency supplies. Taking a tour of the damage, Wylie saw that all of the baby's items were coated with dust from the home's damaged insulation, meaning it will all have to be tossed.

"You can't safely wash something that's been coated in insulation for an infant," she said.

The Red Cross was able to render assistance for basic needs, she said, but it doesn't have the resources to cover the expenses of the lost baby items.

"Now it's up to the community to help them recover a little bit," she said.

Ironically, the area around the Teague's home had been clear-cut of other trees only recently. The tall tree that fell was one of the last left standing.

Wylie was relieved in many respects after touring the scene, noting that the new mother and baby normally would have been in the damaged area but escaped injury.

"I'm very grateful we're (only) dealing with the loss of possessions instead of something much more devastating to this community," she said.

Mother Nature let everyone know she was still in charge this week, also serving the area with close to an inch and a half of rain Tuesday.

"It's not a drought breaker, but any little bit helps," Hinson said. "But wind's a whole other matter."

According to the National Weather Service, the forecast is for clear skies Friday with temperatures in the lower 50s during the day. Saturday is another case however, with a 30 percent chance of rain and highs in the upper 50s.