Home Local News Roads closed, power knocked out as storm sweeps across Richmond County

Roads closed, power knocked out as storm sweeps across Richmond County

Charlie Melvin - Richmond Observer

ROCKINGHAM — Strong winds continue to blow across Richmond County, resulting in hundreds of power outages.

At noon, Pee Dee Electric reported 267 customers were without power. Many of those are in the area around Boyd Lake Road north of Hamlet. There were also minor outages in Rockingham.

Duke Energy was only reporting 80 customers without power. However, there were more than 112,000 without power across the Carolinas.

With a wind advisory in effect from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Richmond County Schools made the decision early Friday morning to cancel classes for the day. There had originally been a two-hour delay. Schools were released early on Thursday ahead of the storm.

Two of the schools, Rockingham Middle and L.J. Bell Elementary, were without power, according to Public Information Officer Jasmine Hagar.

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Several roads across the county were closed due to flooding from overnight rains, Emergency Services Director Donna Wright said in an email.

Those roads, most of which are prone to flooding, are:  

  • Smokey Hollow Road
  • John Ussery Road
  • Yates Hill Road
  • Sides Road
  • Grassy Island Road
  • Blewett Falls Road
  • Hamer Creek Road

Wright added that Ann Street in Rockingham was also closed because of a downed tree on a power line and Old Cheraw Highway was closed near the old rescue squad building because the road was damaged.

The Hitchcock Creek Greenway on Steele Street was also flooded and the waters rose at the Pee Dee River boat landing near the bridge.

 



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