RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Fallen trees, branches, and limbs laid scattered across some neighborhoods in Wake County. Others found themselves dealing with power outages.
Quentine Nesmith, a maintenance technician at the Timbers Apartments in Raleigh, said he witnessed things pick up after a tornado alert was issued just after noon in Wake County.
"It just poured down rain and the sky just turned real gray," he said. "My supervisor called me and I just took off running. Trees just started falling out of nowhere. You could see some limbs started lifting up into the sky."
Nesmith said it was a crackling sound that caught his attention just before a large tree fell and damaged a fence and tool shed on the property. Another fell and blocked the complex's front entrance.
"Pretty much the whole neighborhood came together," he said. "We all took our trucks and stuff and tried to pull the tree out of the road. It took a little while, but we got it out."
Jafari Blythe, a tenant at the apartment complex, said the incident happened fast.
“When I looked out the window, the wind was blowing like crazy," he said. "10 minutes after that, I was watching TV and I heard a tree branch crack."
Blythe said he quickly reached out to his loved ones to make sure they were okay.
"I had a couple family members and loved ones on the road," he said. "I asked them and texted them if they were okay. I called and sent a couple text messages just to make sure they were safe."
While families shared they and others remained safe, Duke Energy said crews remained busy in the area dealing with power outages. Near Millbrook and Creedmoor Road, the power company worked to restore about 1,000 customer outages and several traffic lights.
Sharon May, owner of The Kitchen Table and Relish Craft Kitchen and Bourbon Bar, was among several businesses also impacted. She said the outage happened during their lunch rush.
"Everybody's phones started going off," May said. "The power blinked about three or four times before it decided it was going to kick out for good.
"Some customers hung out for a while and ate cold food," she said. "I think it was about an hour, but we had to shut down and figure out which employees were going to go home.
"The employees decided to go out front and I told them they could while we were waiting around to see what was happening. That’s how most customers figured out we were closed because we were hanging out taking a break.”
According to May, the kitchen was temporarily impacted, but computer outages lingered a while longer. She said an experience with a power outage at the business just a couple weeks ago helped the restaurant prepare.
"We had systems in place to figure out how to finish tables and how to ring things out," May said.
According to Duke Energy’s page, power outages in the neighborhood have since been repaired and restored. The power company said falling trees were a concern ahead of the storm.
Customers are asked to report any outages to help verify issues and ensure they are restored.
