Central Va. residents clean up after severe storms

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A major cleanup effort was underway across Central Virginia on Friday after severe storms struck the area Thursday evening.

Trees and powerlines were down across several streets in the area. At one point, about 100,000 Dominion Energy customers were without power.

On Ellwood Avenue, multiple trees fell after the storms rolled through the area, causing damage to homes and cars parked on the street.

Molly McMahon was sitting inside her house when Thursday’s storm rolled through the area and described the exact moment when a tree fell on top of a couple of nearby homes.

“The winds started picking up. The rain happened. I have skylights, so I was noticing debris,” McMahon told NBC12. “The shaking of the house when the tree hit that was really alarming. It felt like an earthquake. It shook the house.”

Through conversations with her neighbors, McMahon said no one was hurt during the storms.

“Talking to all the neighbors today, everyone is fine. No one’s been hurt, and there’s not extreme damage in the houses,” she said. “Mine, thankfully, wasn’t hurt. Just a lot of branches.”

As the storms passed through the area, McMahon said there was a gas leak, and crews quickly came to help.

On Friday morning, crews worked to clear a large tree that fell in the middle of the street and smashed into a parked car.

Alexander Logan’s windshield, parked right behind the smashed car, was also damaged during the storms.

“When I came out last night, I initially came here. There was a branch all the way through the windshield,” said Logan.

Logan was at the Byrd Theatre when the severe weather hit the area.

“All the power went out at the movie theater,” said Logan. “One of the cast members from one of the crew announced there was a severe thunderstorm warning.”

Logan saw what unfolded moments after.

“I saw all the trees down. It was a whole mess last night. Both trees have came down, and obviously, this one has done some structural damage on the house, but I saw this car that’d gotten absolutely destroyed in front of me,” said Logan. “I’m very lucky to have gotten along with just a windshield breakage.”

Cautious of downed power lines, Logan left and returned to assess the damage to his car on Friday morning.

“It’s scary seeing all the damage that’s been around Richmond, just the whole city,” said Logan.

The City of Richmond Department of Public Works continues to assess the damage caused by Thursday’s storms, adding it may take time for our crews to remove any trees due to unknown hazards, including downed power lines. For non-emergency calls, you can call (804)-646-5100.

“I am asking residents to please be vigilant when driving and avoid any down trees, power lines, or hazards, and check for current updates and communications concerning future weather reports, closures, and other important information,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said in a statement.

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