Powerful storms down power lines; crews shut down part of busy street

JACKSON, Tenn. — A round of powerful storms rip through West Tennessee, leaving behind a trail of damage and many without power in intense heat.

Crews worked through the night repairing downed power lines after severe storms push into the area.

“I thought maybe it was a wreck or something with that many poles down in one street. I didn’t know what was going on,” said Wayne Lott, a business owner in the area.

He took a detour to work Friday to avoid the road closure.

“Customers can’t come in, we don’t have any electricity and we can’t receive calls for business,” Lott said.

Jackson Energy Authority supervisor Ashley Jones says at one point, 1,000 costumers were without power due to the storm.

“Once one of the poles gives out, the weights transfer and it’s kind of a domino effect,” Jones said.

Jones says a section of Airways Boulevard will remain closed until crews reset and repair the poles.

“As you can see, there’s large vehicles and debris laying around,” he said. “It’s one of those areas you just can’t enter right now.”

JEA employees say they believe straight-line winds were responsible for the damage.

And while the road closure is inconvenient for some drivers, others, like Lott, are making the best of the situation.

“We’re just out of luck until they get it going back,” he said.

As of Friday morning, JEA representatives say power was restored to all costumers except for some on Airways Boulevard.

They expect to open the section of the street by Saturday.