Sunday, January 12, 2014

Storms Kill 1 in the Southeast, Topple Building

January 12,2014

RALEIGH— Police say a 50-year-old woman is dead after a weekend storm generating winds that hit hurricane speeds tore through North Carolina.
Raleigh police said Sunday that Cheryl Harrison of Raleigh died after high winds broke the top off a tree that then fell onto the hiking trail she was walking with two men on Saturday afternoon.

Heavy gusts of wind toppled trees large and small across the region Saturday. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that one wind gust was recorded at 86 mph near Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
A row of buildings under construction at a Raleigh apartment complex collapsed in the wind, leaving piles of wooden wall frames and plywood. A large oak tree fell on a trailer home in Cary, but no injuries were reported.
In metro Atlanta, fire crews freed a 14-year-old child from a mobile home Saturday morning after a tree crashed into a back bedroom of the Cherokee County residence. Fire officials said the girl, who was alert and conscious and was talking to paramedics during the rescue operation, was in serious condition.
(FORECAST: Severe Thunderstorms in the Southeast Sunday)
A 2-year-old child in the same mobile home was taken to a hospital to be treated for abrasions.
Trees and power lines have also been knocked down in parts of eastern Alabama, northern Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina as of Saturday afternoon.
In North Carolina, a wind gust to 86 mph was reported at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport early Saturday afternoon. Trees and power lines were reported down in the area.
The latest information is streaming in on social media.