Published: June 18, 2009 11:38 pm      

Storm rips PACA tent, causes power outages across county

Winds up to 70 mph Thursday are to blame for the shredded, white party tent that had been placed at Lake Reba for Saturday night’s PACA (Pattie A. Clay Auxiliary) Ball.

However, the event will take place at the same venue, which will be at Lake Reba overlooking Gibson Bay Golf Course and the lake, according to Jill Williams, Pattie A. Clay spokesperson.

The tent was located on a soccer field at Lake Reba, but it will be moved over slightly, Williams said.

“The tent company is rounding up a crew and bringing in all the necessary equipment,” she said.

At least one of the tables that was set up was blown into the lake, and Williams was told by people who witnessed it that the table looked like a flying saucer.

“No one was hurt and everybody knew to take cover,” she said, speaking about people on the scene preparing for Saturday’s event.

“They’re going to work all night and all day up until the event to make it happen,” she said. “It’s taken a lot of hard work from a lot of people. We are really grateful for everyone’s willingness to step in.”

Lightning, heavy downpours and fast winds ripped through the county Thursday causing about 1,400 residents to briefly lose power, but damage seemed to be at a minimum, according to Richmond officials.

National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Ammerman in Louisville said Thursday’s storms carried winds between 55-70 mph, with some stronger gusts, along with thunder and lightning.

Ammerman said the line was moving southeast at about 55 mph.

The storm caused power outages throughout the county, including short outages along Main Street and Lancaster Avenue, said David Evans, Richmond’s city manager.

Power also was lost at the Gibson Bay Golf Course and the Paradise Cove Aquatic Center sustained minor damage to a pump, umbrellas and other shade structures, Evans said.

The top surface of a baseball field at Lake Reba Recreational Complex was ripped off by the winds and several trees were downed along Gibson Bay Drive, he said.

Sid Rawlins, the city’s public works director, told Evans Thursday afternoon that there was “nothing major” to report after the storm.

Lightning and flooding were the main concerns to most residents during the storm, according to Carl Richards, Richmond’s Emergency Operations Center director.

“There was flooding in various places, but most of it was short lived,” Richards said.

There also were several places throughout Richmond and the county where lightning struck down, but no major damage was done, he said.

“We looked like we might have had some lightning issues here at the EOC,” Richards said. He had not evaluated the damage to the building as of press time Thursday.

Richmond and Berea fire departments responded to several calls about possible lightning strikes, but no fires were a result and no major damage was observed, according to Gerald Tatum, Richmond fire chief.

The weather over the weekend and into Monday includes some rain, but no severe weather is being predicted by the National Weather Service.

Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind between 3 and 8 mph.

Friday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 92. West wind between 6 and 11 mph.

Friday night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. West wind between 8 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. West wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.



Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.