— Photos by Karen E. Viereck, Editor
by Karen E. Viereck, Editor/Publisher
WOOLWICH TWP. – A quick moving storm packing 70 mile an hour plus winds hit suddenly on June 23, knocking over trees, taking down power lines causing loss of electricity, telephones, internet, and interrupted cell phone service.
Hardest hit seemed to be the East Greenwich area with Clarksboro being inaccessible for several days. Some roads around the area remained blocked on June 25. Others allowed one lane of traffic if the driver chose to go under a tunnel of fallen trees.
Roofs were torn off of homes in that area and trees fell on houses. In the rest of the New Town Press area, large trees were knocked over and telephone poles were shattered, left hanging by their wires or laying flat on the ground.
Several residents in the area reported seeing funnel clouds but as of yet, meteorologists have not confirmed this, citing straight line winds as the probable cause for the damage. Other areas of the county and state were hard hit as well.
Police officers spent most of their time directing traffic at the major intersection. On the night of the event, one officer said that they had run out of barricades to shut off the impassible roads.
Power began to come on in certain areas of East Greenwich and Logan Township on June 25, but Atlantic Electric estimated that repairs may take several days in other areas because of the number of downed lines. Atlantic City Electric brought in crews from out of state to help with the repairs and estimated to restore all customers by midnight, June 28 with the vast majority before midday June 27. However, some residents didn’t receive power until June 30.
