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Crews Work To Restore Power Outages Caused By Severe Weather

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More Downed Lines
RALEIGH, N.C. — Crews in Raleigh were working through the night to repair power lines downed by powerful thunderstorms.

As a result, part of Blue Ridge Road near District Drive will be closed for most of the morning as crews work to fix downed power lines.

The Highway Patrol said its Raleigh Communication Center is completely down. If people try to call and report a wreck (*HP), they will not get through. They are working in conjunction with Raleigh 911 center to coordinate calls.

The thunderstorms that swept through Raleigh Tuesday afternoon caused traffic delays, power outages and traffic light malfunctions around the city.

Thirteen people became trapped in their vehicles when utility lines fell near Blue Ridge Road and Wade Avenue Tuesday afternoon.

"I was just coming down the road and it just started pouring in front," said Paula Crews. "You couldn't see the road. I saw the telephone pole coming down and I realized there were powerlines all around my car."

Low-lying areas were experiencing some spots where water was on the road, including Atlantic Avenue north of New Hope Church Road and Hillsborough Street beyond the fairgrounds, police said.

WRAL also received reports of standing water at the intersection of Falls of the Neuse Road and Spring Forest Road.

Traffic lights were out on Wake Forest Road and at the intersection of Lake Boone Trail Road and Blue Ridge Road.

A tree fell across Western Boulevard near North Carolina State University that blocked all inbound lanes. Plus, a house on Seabrook Road in Raleigh also suffered some smoke damage from a lightning strike.

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