Thursday, August 10, 2006

Strong storms carrying hail and high winds swept through our region Thursday afternoon causing wide spread damage and power outages.

Alexander County, Illinois was particularly hard hit. The storm left a huge mess to clean up in the streets of Cairo.

Don Box, Superintendent of Cairo's Road Department, "Everything was just solid white. You couldn't see anything. Then, all the sudden, the wind just started circling and swirling, whirling around. And, I see stuff flying through the air."

High winds scattered debris and snapped trees, blocking roads and damaging homes like Phyllis Halliday's. "There are two limbs sticking through my dining room ceiling and there's water leaking through the chandelier."

The storms toppled a huge tree, blocking 25th Street and bringing power lines with it on its way down. The tree narrowly missed Betty Bucher's carport, but it knocked out power inside her house causing the lights to dim on and off.

Bucher, "Ever since that tree's been there I've worried about that because I can just see it falling over on my carport."

The storm blew in during the middle of Bucher's weekly bridge game with her three friends: Alice Johnston, Vera Althoff and Rita Hartmann. But, the friends say nothing keeps them from their cards.

Alice Johnston, "It started thundering and lightening and it sounded like lightening struck right outside the window here. It was a great big ball of fire. We just kept on playing bridge."

In fact, the only thing Bucher worries about is her air conditioner. It was knocked out along with the lights. "It's going to be hot tonight."