Severe thunderstorms bring flooding, downed trees and power outages to parts of Fauquier County
FAUQUIER COUNTY, Va. - THURSDAY MORNING UPDATES:
Fauquier Schools
Due to widespread storm damage and power outages, there will be no summer school or school activities June 23. FCPS offices will also be closed.
Dominion Energy Power Outage Map
Strong storms have resulted in power outages across the area. Check the Dominion Energy Power Outage Map for the latest updates.
Confirmed Road Closures:
7118 AIRLIE RD.
8262 LEE HWY.
Traffic Light Outages:
LEE HWY/COMFORT INN
LEE HWY/DUMFRIES RD.
LEE HWY/VINT HILL RD.
Downed trees and power lines could be seen all throughout Fauquier County Wednesday after a severe thunderstorm ravaged the area.
According to Dominion Energy, nearly half of Fauquier County was without power Wednesday night into Thursday.
In a statement, Fauquier County Sherriff's Office said it was responding to the aftermath of the severe storm and encouraging residents to stay home since many roads have storm debris and fallen trees.
"Public Safety and other county services are still responding to dozens of calls for service, mostly wires down, roads with trees debris and some building damage," the statement reads.
The Sherriff's Office also asked homeowners to report power outages to their electricity company and plan for possible extended power loss.
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FOX 5's Perris Jones was on Winchester Street, one of the areas officials say was damaged the most. A few blocks over, on Waterloo Street, several homes had huge trees either down in their front yard or on top of their roof.
Heavy rain, severe thunderstorms expected across the DC region Wednesday
"It got dark, winds started blowing. I heard the trees falling but couldn’t see it because it was so dark, so I opened up the back door thinking about going in the cellar and when I did that I heard some big trees in the backyard were just cracking and falling. So, I just kind of hunkered down what seemed like forever, but it was probably just a couple of minutes, and it was over," said Frank Morton, a Warrenton resident. "That 60 seconds felt like two minutes because I thought it might hit the house. I though this tree might come down on my house it was pretty scary."
Morton told FOX 5 he just moved to the area in November. He had a few trees fall down in his yard, but his nextdoor neighbor had a giant tree land on top of their home.
Neighbor say that when inspectors came by they said the home is uninhabitable until the tree can be removed.
While officials say no one has been injured in the County, FOX 5 also spoke to a few families in The Plains who are basically trapped because of all the trees blocking their driveway. Neighbors have been working together for most of the evening trying to saw away some of the trees.
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"You know I’ve been in a lot of storms before, but it’s been a while you know, and I didn’t think it was going to be this bad," said Benjamin Banks, a homeowner who was effected by the storm. "When I stepped out here, I wasn’t expecting all the trees to be bad. Our car got damaged, our house got damaged. I wasn’t expecting any of that. I feel really blessed that we made it out and even our neighbors were just so glad that no one was hurt."
"All this stuff can be replaced, but I’m just glad nobody was hurt," he added.
Fauquier County Public Schools announced that due to the widespread storm, damage and power outages, there will be no summer school or school activities on Thursday, June 23. FCPS offices will also be closed.