As the cold front passed through Thursday night around 10:30 p.m. in Roane County, high winds and heavy rain caused problems across the area. Trees were down in several locations throughout the county. Some were reported on Black Creek Road south of Rockwood, causing power outages in that area and on Rockwood Mountain. The Tennessee Department of Transportation was called out to remove trees along the interstate near the 342 mile marker. Also, in the 900 block of Post Oak Valley Road, a transformer caught fire after exploding, with REU crews and emergency personnel responding just after 11:00 p.m. Thursday night.

Emergency units were dispatched to the 2300 block of Highway 27 south of Rockwood, near the entrance to Black Creek Road in the Whites Creek area, where a tree had fallen on a home and people were reported trapped inside. This occurred as high winds and rain moved through around 10:30 p.m. Thursday night. When West Roane County Fire and Rescue Squad members arrived on scene, they found another tree had fallen across the driveway, so they used chainsaws to clear a path to reach the residents. Upon entering, they determined no ambulance was needed, though the home was heavily damaged. A rescue squad member transported the two residents to a family member’s home for the night.

Emergency personnel from West Roane County Fire and Rescue also responded to a report of a tree on a home on Pine Breeze Circle in Rockwood, off Blackjack Road, around 11:45 p.m. There was no structural damage and no injuries in that incident. South Roane County saw trees down in roads and taking out power lines as well. South Roane County Fire crews responded to several locations, but thankfully there were no injuries during the storms. Power outages were reported in Harriman and the Midtown area, mostly due to trees blown over onto power lines. While a few isolated outages may remain, utility crews working through the night were able to restore power to most areas.

(Photo taken by Shelly Veach)