Another microburst fells trees (and tosses umbrella)
An umbrella tumbled down Preston Avenue.PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER
Update: SLIDESHOW.
One of the hottest days of the year delivered Charlottesville a tree-smashing, traffic-stopping microburst Thursday. Drivers had to dodge sideways winds, tumbling limbs, and moments of hail as the storm struck just before 5pm.
Rio Road is said to be grid-lock, and so is Georgetown Road. There are even–- according to callers on Coy Barefoot's WINA radio show–- problems on Interstate 64. The right westbound lane near the Fifth Street Exit has a tree on it, according to a caller
This tree was uprooted along Rose Hill Drive.PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER
WINA's own property on Rose Hill Drive is the site of an uprooted evergreen tree as well as an another evergreen snapped like a toothpick.
– developing–-
On Holmes Avenue, there's a tree atop a house, according to a caller.
Roads with giant problems:
- Alderman
- Route 250 Bypass between Best Buy and Ivy Road Exit
- North Avenue due to fallen utility pole
- Georgetown Road
- Hinton Avenue in Belmont, site of fallen utility pole
39 comments
Is there any tree work left to bo done? I operate a small, very capable and affordable tree service. I do not want to step on local toes, but if anyone needs quality, cheap work we are only two hours away! Thank you and watch out for profiteers. Always ask for insurance documents.
I'm from Kansas, beeches!
I hope this storm opens the eyes of many local residents. You pay insurance on a home for 45 years, and the first time you need an adjuster to come out in an emergency, good luck! My mother can't even get into or out of her residence because extremely large trees of her neighbors fell on and around her home. It looks like a war zone. What does the insurance company say? "We'll get to you when we can!" What does the adjuster say? Absolutely nothing, can't even get him/her to call us back.
Keep on paying those premiums, folks! Just don't bother them if you need to file a claim! :)
God is not very impressed with the entire world right now, it's not just Charlottesville.
God is punishing Charlottesville, for being a safe haven for weirdos and freaks.
Gasbag - so sorry to hear about your mom's plight...I guess even the insurance companies are not in a hurry to help the people affected by this....it's gonna cost them money. It's a shame you have to have insurance on your home, but without it something like this happens and you are left holding the bag. Hope they get to her soon...:)
Yall dont even know what a storm looks like until you get one so bad you gotta start gettin the cows outta the trees. That one takes some doin.
Ok what is going on tonight????? Who's going to go out and party???? Is the downtown mall open??? Who wants to join me????
When I see powerlines down I move then with my mouth and then plug the ends into my ears to provide neighborhoods with power from the electric pulses of my impressive and overactive genius brain. Also I fell and clear trees with my magnificent teeth, which I am complimented on quite frequently around town.
I'm not talking about the hospital part of UVA............ there is more then just the hospital for UVA you know
@SEAN:
the power pole on north avenue is broken and laying across the road, and 1013 holmes avenue has a new skylight in it due to a fallen tree. hope everythings ok at your house on cottonwood!
When the power goes out, patients at the hospital don't automatically get well and require no care!
The hospital needs employees 24/7/365 come hell or high water!
They best buy that ice park and turn it into a morgue fast if we are going to keep having these killer storms!
The power is still out at UVA and they are on a normal work schedule. How is this possible when there is no power?????? Those guys never close even if there is no power???
Just spoke to Dominion, they said that power for the Rugby ave area is expected by 10pm tonight...
Does anyone know if the power is back on at Barrick's Shopping Center?
I've spent about 45 minutes trying to report downed lines to Century Link. Absolutely worthless customer service from those guys.
If I see a down line, I just move them myself, bare hands and all
whateva, I just left a friend's house who lives hehind my mother's house. Their adjuster was there (State Farm Insurance)... all hot, dirty and sweating. But by God, he was there serving his clients on a Sunday afternoon!
I think it's all in which insurance company your local agents assign you to. After this ordeal is over, and we have the check in hand for damages and repairs, I am switching coverage immediately based on their poor customer service.
FYI: JK is not Jk, two different folks
Joe Pantop, You are not the first person I heard who
said that very same thing. LOL I think God loves us all, but the message is likely that we should be ready for anything,because anything is likely coming.
Talk about lucky! Im the MJH area lots of tree damage, wires down, limbs on wires, etc. But power back on at 9:30. Was sure it would be a lot longer given the extent of the damage and how widespread it was, much more so than the June 3 microburst.
I was on 64 east when the microburst hit. It was interesting. First a dust devil of leaves, then a wall of water with hail. I slowed to a crawl and put on flashers. Then trees falling ahead of us onto the highway. I called 911 and received a busy signal for quite a time.I 64, before the Scottsville exit became a parking lot.
I honestly wondered if there had been a tornado nearby,because it seemed in excess to wind shear.
The biggest problem was that drivers don't know the law when traffic lights are not working from a power outage.
When a traffic signal, any traffic signal, is not working the intersection becomes a 4-way stop.
If you don't know the law, please don't drive.
RE: traffic lights becoming four way stops.
For the most part, I thought most people drove responsibly last evening,and were particularly careful at the areas with inoperative traffic lights. I did have a whole new appreciation for those traffic lights with normally make life so much easier.
Does anyone know what the winds were clocked at ?
Tree snapped in half on Smith Ave just off Locust. This microburst seems more widespread than last month's.
We just did a quick drive around the Rugby Rd neighborhood. Trees have fallen everywhere -- on houses, cars, and across roads.
That storm just skeet skeeted all over Cville
Initially there were 3 trees down on South bound 250 bypass between the Barracks Road Exits and the Ivy Exit.
The top of one tree landed on a small Japanese car 6 cars in front of me breaking out some of the windows. The tree blocked all lanes of traffic heading toward the Ivy exit.
Immediately afterward most of the jackasses with 4-wheel drive turned the grassy median into a U-turn area or a makeshift 3rd lane around the downed trees.
All the major clearing of the trees between that section was a direct result of Samaritan Motorists.
7 of us walked up to the tree nearest us- the one blocking all the lanes of traffic and began breaking off the smaller limbs and as a group trying to lever as much of the tree out of the road to clear at least one lane of traffic- which we did successfully (as of the evening 29 news this was the main tree- still blocking much of traffic they were showing a tree trimming crew working on).
After we'd cleared one lane- the female motorist of the damaged vehicle was able to move it out of traffic.
The two blockages closer to the Ivy Road Exit were cleared by similar Samaritans caught in traffic closer to those downed trees- one of which seemed to have had a saw of some sort handy.
The entire time people trying to dial 911 to make reports received only the sound of an endlessly ringing phone.
Obviously, 911 was swamped. I heard one dispatcher say they had 20 to 25 lines ringing that they simply didn't have the manpower to answer. Wouldn't have wanted to have been them!
Yeah Gas, that's what I figured as well. But the poor young woman who's car the tree had fallen on- while she was driving- she was a little too stressed to consider that. I remember her saying, "Why isn't the damn 911 answering!!"
preston between rugby and emmett, fergetaboutit.....
My power finally came back on, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Up yours mother nature
It took me 1 hour and 45 mins for a drive that normally takes 15 -20 mins. Must have been hundreds of trees fallen. Lots of roads blocked and tons of traffic.
Took me three hours to get home on a 10 min drive
We just left town this morning, and I hear about this now. I'm really hoping not to hear of damage on Cottonwood, but with talk around Locust and such, I'm a bit worried. Anyone been down around there?
Well, I flew out this afternoon, and it was rough on that . My next flight was detoured making us oabout 30 minutes late, and that was at 38k feet. We still weren't high enough. the cloouds were really wild.
Now I am finding out that all my tees are down. hope no shingles are off the house....
My power came back on in downtown at midnight. Given the tree-carnage, I think I'm lucky!
That was more like God f arting if you ask me.....