A North Carolina sheriff says a utility worker has been killed after cutting a tree which had fallen on a power line following a severe storm.
Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman told local media outlets that 31-year-old Brian Keith Wilmoth was cutting the tree Wednesday morning. Bowman said as Wilmoth cut the tree, the power lines sprang up and threw the tree on him.
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The accident occurred just before 4:30 a.m. at an intersection west of Taylorsville.
"We are saddened by this tragic death and it reminds us to be thankful to workers who handle difficult cleanup work after storms, especially around downed power lines, trees and other hazards," Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement.
Wilmoth was identified as a worker for Asplundh Tree Expert Co. and Energy United. His is the first confirmed fatality tied to the storms that rolled through the area on Monday.
The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF2 tornado with winds up to 135 mph touched town in Cleveland County and and EF 1 tornado, with winds up to 110 mph, touched down in southeastern.
Damage assessment teams on Wednesday were conducting surveys which will be used to determine is affected areas will qualify for disaster declarations and state or federal disaster assistance.
About 25,000 homes remained without power Wednesday afternoon, which was down from about 98,000 at the peak of the storm.