|
Featured Sections Headlines Opinion Obituaries Sports Crime Blotter Happenings Country Cooking Wandering Minds Classifieds Birthdays Off The Wall On The Record Church Listings Archives Featured Columns Pastor Howle Wise Tech Tips Editor's Column Carl Langley Dr. Skip Myers Edgefield Square Registered Sex Offenders for Edgefield County Contact us Contact Info or E-mail the Editor Phone: 803-634-0964 day 803-279-5041 eve 803-279-8943 fax Mail to EdgefieldDaily.com PO Box 972 Edgefield SC 29824 Video & Audio Updates Audio Archive Video Archive School System EC District Office School Board Strom Thurmond Charter Schools Fox Creek Private Schools Wardlaw Academy Public Offices Edgefield County Edgefield Johnston Trenton Political State and Federal Legislative Contacts Local Political Parties Republican Party Democrat Party Chamber of Commerce Edgefield County Chamber Historical Edgefield Genealogical Society News links The Citizen News Aiken Standard North Augusta Star The State Augusta Chronicle Atlanta Journal United Press Associated Press FOX News Reuters CNS News WorldNet Daily Newsmax Drudge Report GoogleNews Yahoo!News New York Times New York Post Los Angeles Times Washington Times Washington Post |
  Aftermath: Tornado leaves families displaced web posted March 30, 2010  MERRIWETHER – County
EMA Director Mike
Casey, state weather officials, Merriwether Fire Chief Faye Fulmer and
Asst. Chief Joey Smith were out assessing the damage from a now
confirmed tornado that struck the area Sunday night. “It was an EF-2
(tornado) with winds of 115 miles per hour,” Mr. Casey said. At least
three homes heavily damaged are uninhabitable, and others suffered
moderate damage to the homes, outbuildings, and vehicles.The tornado is not believed to have actually “touched down” in the area, Mr. Casey said, adding that it most likely “dipped down” and passed just over the top of the homes.  Dwayne Miller, whose
family home on Wildlife Trail was devastated by
the tornado, said he gathered his three children into the bathroom with
a mattress. “We could hear it coming,” he said. Just prior to the
tornado arriving Miller said he saw the trees swirling about and knew
what was coming. Mr. Miller’s wife, Samantha, said she was not home at
the time and arrived about ten minutes after it was over. “I couldn’t
believe it,” she said of her thoughts as she arrived. “I was just glad
everyone was okay.”Two other homes in the path of the tornado were also severely damaged. One home had the underpinning blown out and the winds nearly lifted it off its foundation. “None of the doors or windows can be shut,” Mr. Casey said. The manufactured home was literally lifted up and then set back down with the family inside. “The most important factor in this is that if the tie-downs were not in place, we could have seen significant injury (to those inside),” Casey said. Another home on Cheves Creek Circle had the entire roof blown off, yet no one in the home was injured. Mr. Miller said he wanted to thank the Merriwether Fire Department for everything they did to help following the tornado. “They cut trees, branches, put tarps on the roof. They went way beyond what I expected.” County Councilman Rodney Ashcraft drove through the district checking the damage and speaking with constituents. “The damage is extensive,” Ashcraft said. “This is not something you are going to fix in a day or two.” He said he offered to help house family pets while the displaced families affected by the tornado are staying in hotels. “I may not be able to do something on the county side, but I can do things personally to help out.” Merriwether County Councilwoman Genia Blackwell also surveyed the damage Monday. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “(County Council) District lines do not divide our communities; we are all in this together.” Councilwoman Blackwell acknowledged the members of the Merriwether Fire Department and their tireless efforts throughout the night. “We have the finest volunteer fire service in the county,” she said. “They consistently go above and beyond their call to service - and for that I am grateful.” Though no official estimates of damages caused by the tornado were available, unofficial estimates reached well beyond a quarter of a million dollars. EMA Director Mike Casey said he could not comment on the total but suggested that he would not be surprised if the damages exceeded that amount. “That is something that will be determined by the insurance companies and adjusters.” At this time it is not expected that the damages would reach the level that would make the area available for requests of disaster relief funds. © Copyright 2010
EdgefieldDaily.com All
original material is property of
EdgefieldDaily.com and cannot be reproduced, rewritten or redistributed
without the expressed written permission of Edgefield Daily.com
|
Advertise Contact Us   PAID FOR BY THE CANDIDATE    Parting Shots A book by Columnist Carl Langley ------- NOTICE:
We still need recipes for Cooking Section WEBNEWS – Send in your favorite or favorites. There is no limit to the number of recipes you can send in. With the Editor’s wife being the driving force behind her own personal section, help her create an exchange of local favorites, home cooking, grilling, sauces, and deserts! Send in your submissions here. |
