Storms down trees, power lines in Crockett County
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BELLS, Tenn. — Dozens of West Tennessee communities were hit hard by severe weather Monday afternoon. From Gibson to Crockett County, flooding and downed trees caused some major problems. In the small town of Bells, some of those trees even went through roofs, bringing many people out to help with the cleanup. “It’s just part of living in West Tennessee,” resident Candy Simmons said. “This is the kind of weather you have to get used to.” The cleanup was under way in Crockett County after the afternoon storms. “It scared the kids and everyone in the house,” said Angela Rainey, whose property was damaged. “The front door was trying to open up from the wind, so we tried getting everyone into the back part of the house.” Strong straight-line winds brought down dozens of trees, closing roads and crashing into homes. “The winds caught this tree here and blew it in his house, broke a window and messed his roof up,” Crockett County Emergency Manager Joe Jones said. At a home along Cypress Church Road, those who witnessed the storm say the tree hit a room where dozens of children would normally be playing. “One woman inside got cut on the ankle, but they have it stitched up and she’s OK,” Simmons said. “Thank goodness the kids were out on vacation from the daycare.” And just down the road the winds caused even more damage. “Under the carport, it pulled my patio set out,” Rainey said. “It got pulled over and tangled in the barbed-wire fence near my house.” But just as quickly as the storm passed though, community members made their way out to lend a helping hand. “They jumped out of the truck with chainsaws ready to start cutting up tree limbs,” Simmons said. “They even brought their kids. People come from all over West Tennessee when there’s help needed.” A number of power outages were also reported in Crockett, Gibson and Madison counties, but services have since been restored.
