Cherryville Reacts to the Severe Storms: Power Updates, and More
By: Grace Smith – Wise News Network
CHERRYVILLE, NC (WNN) – The City of Cherryville bands together after a severe storm cleared through Gaston County. This storm happened almost a year after the Cherryville microburst of May 2023.
The storm occurred on May 8, 2024. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Piedmont area of North Carolina at 2:58 p.m.
Specifically, the alert mentioned Southwestern Lincoln County, Central Cleveland County and Northwestern Gaston County.
According to Gaston County Emergency Management and Fire Services (GCEMFS), the National Weather Service is still investigating the storm. However, they determined an EF-1 tornado touched down in Cleveland County before going through Cherryville; wind speeds reached 110 mph.
Chad Brown, the chairman for the Gaston County Commissioners, signed a countywide State of Emergency at approximately 6:15 p.m. on May 8. Chairman Brown said he issued the decree because of the stress on emergency personnel.
“Emergency services were rendered all hands on deck at that time,” said Chairman Brown.
According to a press release from Gaston County, the State of Emergency will remain in effect until noon on May 10, 2024.
The storm hit Cherryville at around 3:10 p.m. Shortly after, Cherryville lost power due to multiple downed power lines. GCEMFS stated that 37% of Gaston County lost power.
Cherryville City Manager Brian Dalton issued a press release on May 9, 2024, regarding the restoration of power. At the time of the press release, City Manager Dalton said nearly 500 homes were still without power.
He iterated that the city is working diligently to restore power to the remaining homes. There is no estimate for when power will be restored.
Cherryville’s emergency service and public works employees reacted quickly to the storm. Once it was safe to proceed, the workers started clearing hazards from the road, cutting power to live power lines and addressing other emergent concerns.
Chief Jason Wofford of the Cherryville Fire Department (CFD) said the department received around 50 emergency service calls. He coordinated with Gaston County emergency service workers to arrange a county-wide temporary shelter.
Additionally, the CFD opened its doors to around 10 families who needed temporary housing during the storm.
According to Chief Wofford, dozens of homes sustained minor damage from fallen tree limbs, approximately nine homes sustained severe damage due to fallen trees and one home flooded.
“The fire department is thankful nobody [Cherryville] was severely hurt and we pray for those who were displaced from their home,” said Chief Wofford.
Don Millwood is a Cherryville resident whose home endured considerable damage from a fallen tree. Millwood waited in a secure part of his home for the storm to subside when he heard a loud crack. He ventured out to see what happened and encountered a large hole in his living room.ย
A tree on his property got entirely uprooted by the storm. It fell on top of his house, causing severe damage to the structure.
“It’s going to be months and months before this is repaired,” said Millwood.ย
The home is made of unique rocks, mined in Tennessee. Despite the damage to his home Millwood had a positive attitude looking forward.
“I’m not worried too much about this damage. It can be repaired and all my family is safe,” he said, “That’s the most important thing.”
His neighbors rallied to assist him. That is a common sentiment among Cherryville residents: they rush to help each other in times of need.
Wade Stroupe is another Cherryville resident who experienced property damage during the storm. Stroupe’s home is intact, however, a tree fell on his vehicles. He said his neighbors and other community members checked on him immediately.ย
“We were all gathered last night and checking on each other. Folks stopped in from other parts of town to check on me personally and neighbors just asked what they could do,” said Stroupe.ย
Millwood and Stroupe live on Elm Street, an area of Cherryville that received significant damage.
While Cleveland County and Lincoln County sustained damage, Chairman Brown said Gaston County faced the most damage. Lance Foulk, the deputy chief of GCEMFS, said Gaston County took at least 1,200 emergency calls.
The Chief of Gaston County Emergency Medical Services, Mark Lamphiear, said his team addressed every call. However, response times depended on the hazardous conditions.
“We struggled a little bit sometimes to get to calls because there were trees down across roads that we could not get around, but we got to every call by using alternate means of mapping ourselves there,” said Chief Lamphiear.ย
Chief Lamphiear said one of his respondents assisted in a home birth.
“I was on my way to that call and we got blocked by trees across the road, so someone else came to that from another direction; I heard just a little bit later on the radio that they announced the time of the birth,” said Lamphiear.
His department responded to several cases of trees falling on cars. In one incident, two individuals were in the car when a tree struck. One person survived and was taken to a nearby hospital, while the other died. This is the only reported fatality.
Gaston County opened an emergency shelter at the Adult Recreation Center in Gastonia. A second wave of storms hit the area between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on May 9, 2024.
The Citizens Resource Center in Dallas will serve as an emergency shelter for displaced residents, managed by the Red Cross. It is open and ready to assist those in need.
Gaston County shared that as of 2:30 p.m., May 9, approximately 75% of the county’s power has returned.
The residents, emergency workers and municipal and county employees are working together to repair the damage. The collaborative efforts between departments and industries demonstrate a resilience to bounce back after the storm.
From the linemen working to restore power to the firefighters clearing trees from the roads, the brave responders to this storm are working tirelessly to return Gaston County to a state of normalcy.
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