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Ill winds blow through Bath, Highland
BY CHARLES GARRATT AND ANNE ADAMS • STAFF WRITERS
 | | High winds on Sunday brought this oak tree down at the Monterey Livestock Sales, which is close to the electric power lines. (Recorder photo by Janice O'Reilly) |
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HOT SPRINGS and MONTEREY- Even with ninedegree temperatures and -20 wind chills, the sound of chainsaws and hammers filled the air around Bath and Highland counties Monday morning in the wake of near hurricane force winds that blew most of the day Sunday.
Bath County Sheriff Larry Norfleet said his dispatchers answered 85 calls between 6:45 a.m. and 8:15 p.m. on Sunday. Angie Wolfe, a dispatcher since 1999, was on duty when the calls began to come in. She said it was one of the busiest days in a long time.
Wolfe worked over her shift and second shift dispatcher Kim Cauley came in early to handle the calls, Norfleet said. In addition, the two road deputies on daylight worked late and two more came in early along with Norfleet.
The sheriff's department fielded calls reporting 49 trees down in roads, 14 power lines down and four fires caused by downed power lines. Norfleet said all the local fire departments along with VDOT and BARC crews were out all day and into the night.
 | | Monday morning, workers had already stripped the limbs from this large spruce tree that fell along U.S. 220 just north of Hot Springs. The high winds came in from the west, but swirled around in the valley pushing trees in all directions. This tree fell to the northwest onto the golf course instead of east across U.S. 220. But many roads were blocked temporarily by other trees and downed power lines. (Recorder photo by Charles Garratt) |
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Shirley Colvin, owner of the Pit Stop in Warm Springs, said she lost power about 3 p.m. on Sunday. Power was not restored to her store until about 9 a.m. Monday. BARC crews were some of the first people in the door after she reopened, she said.
In Mitchelltown, many buildings lost shingles to the high wind. A crew replaced shingles on the building rented by Bath Community Hospital's business office while other handymen spread roofing cement over bare spots on the roof of the old NAPA building across U.S. 220.
 | | The power of Sunday's wind storm is demonstrated by decimated age-old pine trees flat on the ground and showing an enormous root system at Camp Mont Shenandoah in Millboro Springs, as viewed here by Ann Batley. Ann and her husband, Jay, are the longtime directors at the summer camp for girls established in 1927. On Tuesday, Ann Batley said the storm knocked down about 36 trees on the property, most in the woods, noting she had not seen anything like this storm in her 20-some years associated with the camp. (Recorder photo by Gina Hamilton) |
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As of Tuesday afternoon, supervisor Dale Meyer at BARC in Millboro said 100 or fewer customers were still without power. The storm impacted all of the area served by BARC from Rockbridge to Bath. Monday morning, 2,100 customers did not have power even though crews worked until late Sunday night.
Reports from the weather station at Ingalls Field on top of Warm Springs mountain show the wind ahead of the cold front blew from within a few degrees of west all day. Down in the valley along U.S. 220, the wind swept around from many directions, tearing out trees, ripping off shingles and siding.
 | | This damage was done at the late Ray M. Botkin's home place in the Shaw's Fork region of Head Waters on Sunday afternoon due to the wind. (Photo courtesy Kent Botkin) |
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Downed trees on the Homestead Golf Course and along U.S. 220 pointed in every compass direction as they were tossed about by winds that peaked at 70 mph. At midnight Saturday, the wind was blowing a steady 13 mph. It rose steadily all day and was still at 28 mph 24 hours later.
The wind storm peaked about 2:20 p.m. with 49.5 mph steady winds and gust of 70 mph. The barometric pressure dropped to 29.66 in, conditions similar to those found in a tropical storm. Hurricane force winds begin at 76 mph.
Norfleet said dispatchers and road deputies "did a fantastic job." Both the Hot Springs Fire Hall and the Mountain Grove community center were opened for emergency shelters. Temperatures fell to the single digits well before midnight Sunday and remained so until Monday morning. Wind chills went to -20.
Bath schools closed Monday morning due to widespread power outages.
 | | Sunday was a busy day for dispatcher Angie Wolfe who was on duty when gale force winds hit the county. Wolfe and Kim Cauley, who came in early for her evening shift, handled 85 calls between 6:45 a.m. and 8:15 p.m., including four fires caused by downed power lines. (Recorder photo by Charles Garratt) |
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In Highland, the wind was high and those in the southern part of the county lost power for a few hours on Monday morning while crews worked steadily to restore lines.
Schools there were two hours late, and the wind damage wasn't quite as extensive, though plenty of trees came down.
Road crews worked Monday morning to remove the debris Sunday's winds had swept countywide. Drivers were dodging downed limbs, some losing tires after hitting branches. By later Monday, most of the downed trees had been cut and cleared to make roads passable.
Highland deputies responded to numerous calls about downed trees and power lines.
According to John Sweet, who mans the weather station at Mustoe, winds were in the 35-40 mph range with much stronger gusts. The temperature dropped from 30 degrees during the day Sunday to 11 degrees by midnight followed by a low of 7 degrees Monday morning. Wind chills ranged from about -35 to -45 degrees.
 | | A front-end loader crawls across the Old Course at The Homestead Monday with a monster tree trunk. A number of large trees fell on the course during the Sunday storm. (Recorder photo by Charles Garratt) |
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"Dean Moyers told me there were a lot of trees down along (Route) 678 on the lower Bullpasture," he said. "Frank Marks lost some shingles and siding from his building along (Route) 609 in that area. BARC was out in our area for 14 hours starting Sunday evening.
"We've had 0.9 inches of snow so far today, the measurable snow in February," Sweet continued, referring to Tuesday's brief snowfall. "We opened our (maple) trees and flow was good for several days. Frozen solid now."
Sunday, Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency in response to wildfires that had kicked up in several locations, including Roanoke County. He directed state agencies to take all necessary actions to aid in the response to the fires. Kaine also authorized activation of the Virginia National Guard and equipment for assistance. Virginia Department of Forestry personnel worked throughout the last several days.
 | | A massive pine tree blocks the front of the Mark and Pennie Altizer home on Lower Yard Road in Millboro Monday, after Sunday's horrendous wind storm. According to Pennie Altizer, there was no damage to the inside of the house because the tree fell into a large maple tree close by and came to rest on the front porch. As of Monday evening, she was waiting for a damage estimate to the porch and fencing from their insurance company. A second pine was also blown down on their property, but it caused no structural damage. (Recorder photo by Gina Hamilton) |
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