Man killed, trees down and power outages reported after severe storms hit Wake County, Central NC
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Cleanup efforts continued across North Raleigh on Wednesday after severe storms brought down trees and power lines, damaged homes, knocked out power to thousands and left one man dead.
A large path of damage stretched across several neighborhoods, with fallen trees and utility lines blocking roads and damaging homes. Crews worked throughout Wednesday to clear debris, restore power and rebuild damaged infrastructure.
“The water was coming down so fast that it couldn’t drain. And the wind was blowing so hard,” resident Alan Handley said.
Handley also described the storm as unusually intense.
“It was very violent. At times there was a tremendous amount of lightning, thunder. But the torrential rain, it was just incredible,” he said.
From Lynn Road to Leesville Road and Ray Road, downed trees and power lines created hazards for drivers. A transmission tower also collapsed during the storm, and aerial video showed crews working to rebuild it.
Duke Energy told ABC11 that Wake and Buncombe counties were hit hardest by the storms. At the peak of the event, the utility reported more than 300 outage events, and more than 40,000 Wake County customers required power restoration.
Many of the problems were caused by fallen trees, with saturated ground and strong wind gusts contributing to trees toppling onto roads and homes.
Wade Carter said he did not realize a tree had struck his home until Wednesday morning.
“I thought everything’s not too bad. So this morning, when I got up, I got up and saw the tree and just the large tree laying on top of my garage,” Carter said. “I’m just thankful that we all survived.”
Tree service crews reported receiving a steady stream of calls after the storms.
“It’s been over 50 calls and while we are driving, people just stop us for help,” said Lester Rapalo of North Raleigh Tree Services.
Rapalo said many residents were worried about storm-damaged trees.
“People are scared of trees that are on the roof, leaning trees, trees on the driveway, and then people are just afraid,” he said.
The storms turned deadly Tuesday evening when a large tree fell onto a home on Bartons Enclave Lane, killing 71-year-old Mike Ferguson as he was lying in bed.
Katie Ferguson confirmed with ABC11 that her husband — 71-year-old Mike Ferguson — was the man killed.
Ferguson’s wife told ABC11 that he was a people person who loved his retirement job at Harris Teeter. He is survived by his wife and four daughters.
Gov. Josh Stein offered condolences to the family.
“Anna and I send our condolences to the family. Our first responders have been working hard to keep folks safe, and the power crews are restoring power,” Stein said.
A large tree came down on Swiss Wood Drive, bringing down powerlines and prompting repairs by Duke Energy.
As the cleanup continued Wednesday, tree service professionals urged homeowners to trim or remove trees that could pose a risk during future storms, saying the damage serves as a reminder of the dangers trees can present when they are too close to homes.
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