Property damage was not the only problem brought about by the Monday night storm. The high winds that reached to 125 miles per hour in strength caused power line problems and power outages within the county.
One of the first sightings for line and pole damage was on State Highway 22 between Huntingdon and McKenzie near the Carroll County Airport.
Carroll County Electric manager Danny Brawner said six steel 75-foot tall poles were blown over and two more were bent in a third of a mile stretch. Most carried 6,000 volt lines. After 1 a.m. Tuesday Highway 22 was closed for a few hours.
When the high winds and rain first struck, about 4,500 customers in McKenzie and surrounding area were affected and had no electricity for a short time.
“There were 10 to 12 locations across the county that had posts and lines torn down,” said Brawner. “About 25 poles had to be replaced”.
Some of these areas included Browning Highway and off Browning, Highway 114 near Bruceton, and the Bruceton – Vale Road.
Brawner estimated the damage at $100,000.
Carroll County Electric Company’s ten-member crew were assisted by linemen from other areas. TVA had ten men who offered their services. Paris Board of Public Utilities furnished ten men and Lexington Electric Service had five men who helped.
Linemen were finishing up by the end of the week with only a few remaining things to complete.
“I really appreciate everyone’s help,” said Brawner. “It certainly helped to get the power on quicker.”
