1,200 still without power in Warren County after storms topple trees

People northeast of the Triangle woke up to a big mess Wednesday after severe weather hit their communities overnight.

At 2 p.m. Wednesday, 1,236 customers were still without power in Warren County, according to the emergency manager. Schools in Warren County were on a two-hour delay Wednesday due to power outages.

The storm Tuesday night dropped large hail in Nash County, but one of the hardest hit areas was Warren County, where people on Wednesday were waking up to power outages and downed trees.

In Warren County, trees were down along Maple Street, Church Street and Old Macon Highway. According to neighbors, those trees took down at least three power poles.

Multiple neighbors in the area told WRAL News it was the worst storm they've seen there in decades. One man said a trampoline got blown from one house onto the roof of a neighboring house.

Macon Auto Sales in Warren County had a two-plate glass blown in by the storm. When the owner got there to inspect the damage, he said he found hail piled up a foot deep against the side of his building.

"I mean, it was just so quick," said Macon resident Erik Hilliard. "It was like maybe 10 [to] 15 minutes at most, where it was rain and wind and then gone, and all this had happened."

Hilliard said he took shelter as the storms rolled through Macon. When he came outside, he found his street a mess of branches, downed telephone lines and a massive tree blocking the road.

"Just seeing that, just the wind able to push that over from the roots and everything, that was the biggest thing," he said. "It’s just crazy to see."

Crews continue to work to restore power throughout the county. Some people are grateful they weren't hit harder by Tuesday's storms.

"We've just ben very blessed as far as damage," Hilliard said. "Just got to get picked up now."

In Halifax County, crews were still clearing downed trees, rehanging power lines and repairing power piles.

Emergency crews said they're still working to put together an estimate of how many roads and buildings were impacted by the storms.