Peachtree – Last week’s roaring thunderstorms, which included an EF1 tornado, did not pass through Cherokee and surrounding counties without leaving a mark.
An EF1 tornado has winds from 86-110 mph and can cause a roof’s edges or corners to be torn off. Cherokee County Emergency Management reported Monday that a total of 83 structures have been assessed for damages – 49 unaffected, 11 affected, 15 minor, seven major and one destroyed. However, no injuries from the storm and its aftermath were reported.
“I was very pleased with our county’s response to the storms last week. Almost every fire department was affected initially; however, even though they were responding to calls in their district, they also sent members to assist Peachtree who, obviously, was the most impacted,” Cherokee County Emergency Management Director Robin Caldwell told the Cherokee Scout in an email.
“(The N.C. Department of Transportation) and the power companies were a huge asset when it came to the recovery phase, and worked tirelessly in clearing the roads and restoring power as quickly as possible.”
The Peachtree tornado traveled 2.42 miles with a path 40 yards wide late May 7, reaching an estimated peak wind of 95 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., with pockets of extensive tree damage noted around the community. The tornado likely developed near Greenlawn Cemetery Road and Memory Lane and continued east across Upper Peachtree Road, causing some tree damage on Lizzie Elliot Road.
The tornado took a slight northeast jog and was non-continuous throughout its life cycle. It crossed Sky Trek Drive and Shadow Pond Road and lifted before crossing Upper Peachtree Road again, the National Weather Service reported.
Numerous trees were either uprooted or snapped along the path, with large limbs also downed. Other significant tree damage was found where Upper Peachtree Road turns north just past Trinity Drive close to Boyd Ridge Drive. However, this damage was associated with straight-line winds in excess of 70 mph.
One local homeowner’s house sustained damage when a tornado touched down in her yard about 11:30 p.m. May 7. Both homeowner Helen Stiles-Jarrett and her renter, Robin Barton at 5 Memory Lane, were at home at the time the tornado touched down.
Barton, who was on the phone, decided to get off the line due to the worsening weather. Shortly after hanging up, the power went off at her house.
“Oh my gosh, it was like a war zone. I didn’t realize just how much devastation there was until it was daylight,” she said.
The tornado hit their house as well as the property portion of their next-door neighbor, taking down trees as well.
“We have to get someone out here to really walk through and give us a complete report. I’m sure that there’s a lot of stuff we can’t see inside the roof,” Barton said.
Regarding the sound of the tornado, she said, “It was hail hitting the house. At first, I thought there had been some broken glass. It happened so fast. It was like a loud roar, like a locomotive, and the lightning made it look like almost daylight it was striking so fast. Then it was over.”
A portion of her front porch sustained damage, and furniture was tossed about. Several large trees had broken branches strewn around the yard. Other trees, including one that was more than 80 years old, were uprooted.
Even with the damage they were left with by the forces of nature, both women realized that it could have been far worse. The tornado came within 12 feet of the house, which was built in 1943.
“It took the trees, but not the home, so for that I am very blessed and thankful,” said Stiles-Jarrett, who has never been in a storm of this significance.
Barton offered advice to local residents.
“Pay attention to the weather,” she said. “A lot of people take it kind of lightly. It could have been so much worse than it was, and I just feel really lucky.”
According to WLOS.com, there also was an EF2 tornado in Jackson County and an EF0 tornado in Black Mountain. The Black Mountain tornado had maximum winds of 85 mph and a path of 2.47 miles. It brought down a communications tower at the Black Mountain Fire Department as well as uprooted several trees near Black Mountain Golf Course.
The Jackson County tornado had winds of 111-135 mph. Its path between Cullowhee and Glenville was 6.6 miles long and 75 yards wide. The damage in this rural area was mainly uprooted trees.
The National Weather Service confirmed Thursday that another tornado touched down on May 8, this one in northeast Alabama near Pisgah and Henegar.