Tornadoes, high winds sweep central Virginia

Contributed photos by R.E.C.

Never has there been a deadly tornado in February in Virginia—until last Wednesday.

A total of seven twisters touched down in Middlesex, Lancaster, Mecklenburg, Fluvanna, Appomattox, Essex and Sussex counties. Four people were killed, one in Appomattox and three in Sussex (Waverly), with 25 injured throughout.

The Appomattox and Essex tornadoes were rated F3 on the Fujita scale, which ranges from F1 to F5. These two were the strongest in Virginia since April 2011. Winds reached 165 mph.

More than 100 structures were damaged. At least 15 homes and a church were destroyed. Many people were trapped in their homes until freed by rescue workers

Ann M. Lewis, director of communications and public relations for the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative gave some statistical insight on power loss.

“We serve 22 counties, so we had damage throughout our territories,” Lewis said. “The most severely damaged was the Essex County/Tappahannock area.”

Throughout the REC service area, 8,000 members lost electricity for a period of time.

Caroline experienced 1,900 power outages, most occurring around 6:30 p.m. There was little to no damage done here.

“We have significant damage as far as our power lines, poles and equipment,” Lewis said.

“Red Cross workers continue to work around the clock to support those impacted by the tornadoes and windstorms,” said Reggie Gordon, CEO of the American Red Cross Virginia Region. “Red Cross workers are across the state and we’ll be here in the days and weeks to come to help people begin to recover.”

Download the free Red Cross Emergency App to receive emergency alerts and information about what to do in case of tornadoes and other disasters, as well as locations of shelters. The App also includes emergency first aid information and a Family Safe feature, which allows people to instantly see if loved ones are okay. The free Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like tornadoes and countless other crises can make a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

By Bridget Douglas / CP Reporter