Powerful storm leaves 52,000 in Kanawha Valley without power on Tuesday

A tree fell in front of Temple Israel at 2312 Kanawha Blvd. E, in Charleston, W.Va. during strong storms on Tuesday, March 2, 2024. (Amelia Ferrell Knisely | West Virginia Watch)

Powerful winds and hard rain swept through the Kanawha Valley early Tuesday afternoon, taking down trees, powerlines and billboards and leaving around half of Kanawha County residents without power.

Winds in some places reached up to 90 miles per hour according to the National Weather Service, and no part of the county was spared, said Kanawha County Commission President Lance Wheeler.

“This is the entire county, not just one section, and it’s going to take days, if not weeks, for us to get back to normal,” Wheeler said.

Josh Peck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, said the organization could not confirm if the storm included a tornado. Teams were starting to perform storm surveys around 12:30 p.m. to get more information and gauge damage.

“We had a really strong squall, and it came through right up the Metro Valley,” Peck said. “It was a pretty short duration event but pretty impactful. There’s been a lot of damage reported, but we won’t know more until we’re able to go out and look.”

Wheeler said at least 52,000 homes in Kanawha County were without power at 1 p.m.. It’s unclear when power restoration could start. Representatives for Appalachian Power could not be reached for comment by 2 p.m. Tuesday.

As of 1 p.m., no fatalities had been reported from the storm or damage, however Wheeler said there were several minor injuries. The county’s Metro 911 center received more than 400 calls over an hour, with most being to report damage. Wheeler urged residents to only use 911 for emergencies at this time.

Wheeler said emergency responders throughout the region were responding to calls for entrapments, downed trees, collapsed structures and other accidents, however the total number of those calls were not able to be confirmed in the afternoon. According to Metro’s call log , more than 60 calls were made between 10:50 a.m. and 12:50 p.m. for downed trees.

A strong storm that went through Metro Valley on Tuesday morning knocked bricks off of the former Sport Mart building on the 1000 block of Quarrier St. in downtown Charleston, W.Va. (Lori Kersey | West Virginia Watch)

In downtown Charleston, Quarrier Street was closed from Leon Sullivan Way through the 1000 block after bricks from the old Sport Mart building blew into the street during the storm. Property manager Bert Cochran said he was in the building just 10 to 15 minutes before the damage happened and had left when the owner called and told him “the front of the building was laying on the ground” and sent him pictures. Crews were working to clear the bricks Tuesday afternoon.

The American Red Cross was contacted earlier in the afternoon, Wheeler said, and will be bringing in shelters for anyone displaced by the storm or without power.

The Kanawha County Commission issued an emergency declaration in response to the storm, and Wheeler said leaders are talking to state and federal officials about further emergency assistance.

In Cabell County, 911 dispatchers fielded more than 250 calls within about an hour, said Cabell County 911 director Nazim Abbess. No injuries had been reported in the county as of around 2:30 p.m., he said.

“Mostly we’ve had a lot of power lines down. We’ve had a lot of trees down,” Abbess said. The roof of a pet store at the Huntington Mall partially blew off, he said.

In Ona, a large billboard fell and partially hit a trailer in a trailer park and closed Blue Sulphur Road, but did not cause any injuries, he said.

More than 13,000 power outages were reported in Cabell County, according to Appalachian Power.

Officials were watching the weather radar for additional storms on the way, Abbess said. He cautioned people to “stay safe, be vigilant, and just prepare. Call if you need something.”

In a statement Tuesday, Gov. Jim Justice said a state of emergency had been issued in Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln and Nicholas counties because of the storm that caused flooding, downed trees, power outages and road blockages. He had issued a state of preparedness for all 55 counties in West Virginia , which remained in effect Tuesday afternoon.

A second storm system is currently moving toward Charleston from Kentucky, and Peck said it’s difficult to gauge what the damage or severity will be. The storm will likely start impacting the region around 3:30 p.m.

Wheeler said residents should take time before to make a plan in case of another tornado warning. He urged them to listen to first responders and be as careful as possible.

“When you hear a siren go off, go into your house immediately and find shelter. Turn on your news of choice, whether that’s radio or TV or anything else, and we will notify you what the next steps are,” Wheeler said. “Right now, individuals need to be staying home and taking this time to prepare.”

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.

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