TheCarolinaChannel.com News
The Help You Need HotJobs Dating Travel Legal Center Family Food Education
House & Home Real Estate Yellow Pages Shopping Automotive Weddings Community

Ivan's Storms Kill Seven In Carolinas, NE Georgia

Rain Coming To End For Now

POSTED: 8:35 pm EDT September 16, 2004
UPDATED: 12:10 pm EDT September 17, 2004

The remnants of Hurricane Ivan have left their mark on the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia, especially in North Carolina.

At least three people are reported dead Friday in western North Carolina after structures collapsed during heavy winds and rain.

Two died in Macon County and another in Henderson County, when winds blew a tree onto a home in Flat Rock. Two men are missing and presumed dead in Macon County after floodwaters swept away a pickup containing three men near Leicester. The third man was rescued. One other person died in Haywood County.

More than 164,000 people are without power after the storm dropped as much as eight inches of rain and winds knocked trees onto power lines. Officials say the numbers will rise during the day.

Maj. Chris Simpson of the North Carolina National Guard said rescuers are also bracing for flash floods. They've already had to use helicopters in some cases to aid swift water rescues. More than 100 roads were closed by flooding or downed trees. At least 625 people spent the night in 38 shelters.

Tornado warnings were issued in seven counties Thursday afternoon and evening, with damage reported in five counties.

Some of the worst damage was reported in Franklin County, Ga., where several tornadoes were reported. The Franklin Springs Fire Department building and a nearby emergency medical services facilty were heavily damaged, as well as more than two dozen homes in Franklin Springs and Sandy Cross.

"Everything we worked so hard to get, ruined, devastated, devastated," Fire Chief Mark Jerome said, looking at the debris piled on one of his newest fire trucks. "I'm just hoping [people] help us as much as we help other people."

One woman was killed when a tree fell on the car in which she was riding. Another woman in the car was among several people injured across the county.

"We looked out the window and saw the funnel cloud move this direction toward the fire station here," Charles Powell said. "It was like a bomb blew up in Franklin Springs."

Damage was also reported in Hart and Elbert counties in Georgia, as well as Laurens and Oconee counties in the Upstate.

Blue Ridge Electric reported 60,000 customers without power at the peak of the storm, while Duke Power reported more than 15,000. Most of the outages were in Oconee County.

The center of Ivan continues to march northeastward into Tennessee. The most recent projected track indicates Ivan will move through Tennessee and North Carolina and slow down over the weekend, before coming back to the Pee Dee of South Carolina Sunday afternoon, possibly moving all the way back to the lower Upstate by the end of the weekend.

Forecasters say Ivan weakened to a tropical depression early Friday.

A flood watch continues across the entire region until 6 a.m. Sunday. A high wind warning is in effect for the mountains from 6 p.m. Thursday until 6 p.m. Friday.

A flood warning has been issued for the Saluda River at West Pelzer and the Broad River at Blacksburg. Both rivers were forecast to crest six or more feet above flood stage Saturday morning, but are now forecast to crest only two feet and one foot over flood stage, respectively.

Most high school football games have been postponed this week. Greenville's Art In The Park event scheduled for this weekend will now be held Oct. 23-24.

Several school districts in North Carolina have canceled classes for Friday. A list of closings and delays can be found here.

Meanwhile, the current storm track for Hurricane Jeanne puts it off the South Carolina coast Tuesday afternoon. Forecasters warn that there is still considerable leeway in the storm's eventual path.

Stay tuned to WYFF News 4 and TheCarolinaChannel.com for the latest information.

Share Your Storm Story Here
Send Us Your Storm Photos
See Images From Ivan's Storms
Keep Track Of The Storm In Our Hurricane Section



On The Side ...
Sponsor
Desktop Alert
Desktop Alert
Download Desktop Alert, and get up-to-the-minute alerts:
* Breaking News Alerts
* Severe Weather Alerts
Click here to download Desktop Alert!

Premium Weather
Premium Weather - Storm
Track storm cells to see if your personal locations may be in their path. Try it now! Already a subscriber? Log in here.


© 2004, Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
Click here for the privacy policy, terms of use.
Click here for advertising information.

Site Map