By By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
June 5, 2001
Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency crews and volunteer firefighters were dispatched Monday to assess thunderstorm damages in some areas of the county.
Lauderdale County Fire Coordinator Clarence Butler said the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning about 2:30 p.m. that remained effective until 3:15.
Long Creek Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to remove a tree from a house on Leo Lockhart Road. Butler said no one was home when the tree fell.
One tree reportedly fell on power lines.
Witnesses reported a hail storm between Meehan and Chunky just east of the Lauderdale-Newton county line, but Butler said he received no reports of hail.
One witness reported pea-size to dime-size hail that lasted about three minutes. The hail, she said, was mixed with torrential rain, forcing drivers of three timber trucks and several cars to pull off Highway 80 until visibility improved.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call her at 693-1551, ext. 3275, or e-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.