Severe weather blows through parts of county

by Cristin Parker cristin@thecherokeean.com
Courtesy photos 
The pier as it was before straight line winds swept through the area in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 4.
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March marched into Cherokee County like a whole pride of angry lions last week when heavy rain, strong winds and even penny-sized hail – but no tornadoes -- passed through the northern parts of the county.

Officials reported damage to numerous homes, businesses and at least one service organization in the New Summerfield, Ponta and Lake Striker areas; flood waters and downed trees across many roads, including parts of U.S. Highway 69; and power-outages that left hundreds of people without power for much of Wednesday. Reports of hail falling on parts of Jacksonville were also shared.

“Based off a review of radar data and pictures sent to us, we have determined that the wind-damage in Cherokee and Rusk counties during the early morning hours of March 4 was from straight-line winds,” the National Weather Service Shreveport office’s Warning Coordination Meteorologist Charlie Woodrum said Thursday. “Estimated winds were 70 to 80 miles an hour, based off the pictures that were sent to us. We do not have any reports of injuries or fatalities at this time.”
Cherokee County Emergency Management Coordinator Sergio Servin reported, “There was the rumor that a tornado touched in the Ponta area which is false. I passed along all damage information along with pictures to the National Weather Service and it was determined that it was all straight line winds.

“Cherokee County Electric Cooperative reported 1,031 members lost power, but they were quick on their feet and returned service before nightfall that day.”

Servin also reported all four Cherokee County commissioners’ precinct crews “worked diligently in keeping their residents safe, by closing any dangerous roads and clearing the roads from any debris caused by the storm.”

Servin also reported Cherokee County Judge Chris Davis stayed informed of all developments throughout the storm and was very relieved once it passed our region by without any serious mishaps or injuries. County officials do not have cost estimates on the storm’s damage as yet.

Some of the worse damage suffered was by the Country Roads Rescue animal rescue shelter and the Lake Striker Resort & Marina.

The animal shelter was flooded by an estimated 6 inches of water.

“We really were very lucky and the water receded quickly and didn’t cause any permanent damage or anything too costly,” shelter operator Stephanie Hassell told the Cherokeean Herald. “But it did make us realize we need a better emergency system – that is something we are currently working on getting in place.”

Despite not having an official plan, shelter officials and volunteers stepped up when flood waters forced them to quickly find foster homes for more than 30 animals lodged at the shelter.

“The first thing I did, I came in and I checked on all our dogs to make sure that they were ok, I ran and checked on our cats to make sure nobody was just sitting in water,” Hassell said in an interview given to Tyler ABC-TV affiliate KLTV-Channel 7 after the flood waters had receded. “I called a friend of mine that works at the animal shelter and asked for help transporting dogs, even if it was two or three and she put out the word and within 30 minutes I had the police chief, the city manager, a detective, (her friend), a volunteer, all here just putting animals in crates in their cars and getting them out of the water.

“We had strangers just coming in with trucks and crates ready, who can we take, had them sign a foster contract, got their number.

“I’m amazed at our town, every day, by the things that they do like this and the fact that I can move 34 animals in 30 minutes in an emergency situation -- that’s amazing.”

And the need for the community’s assistance isn’t done. A lot of food had to be thrown out after being soaked by the dirty flood waters and their drainage system needs some upgrades as Hassell reported on the shelter’s Facebook page.

“Last time it rained heavily, we experienced this issue,” she posted. “The water was 2 inches away from going into inside kennels and it had flooded our outside kennels by 3 to 4 inches already.

“And this was just one day of continuous moderate to heavy rain. Thankfully, before the water reached the inside kennels, the rain stopped and it was able to drain fast enough.”

County Roads Rescue, located at 601 Woodlawn Ave, Jacksonville, was founded in 2016 and its mission is to “assist Cherokee County with the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of the hundreds of forgotten and abandoned strays that roam the area.”

They also educate the public and provide assistance where it is needed within Cherokee County to benefit the lives of companion animals.

“We are still always in need of fosters and volunteers, too,” Hassell said.

Lake Striker Resort & Marina’s covered fishing pier, with its roof sporting a Texas state flag paint job, was demolished in the storm. The restaurant also sustained some roof damage.

“We pray everyone in its path had very little damage and everyone are safe and unhurt,” Resort officials reported on the business’s Facebook page on March 4. “It twisted some pines here and took out the covered fishing pier. “We have lots of work ahead of us!”

The Striker Restaurant was able to reopen on Friday, March 6. The bait shop and boat ramp were also open in time for the weekend.

“We would like to thank all the road crews that worked long hours in bad weather to ensure that we all could have our electricity restored,” Resort officials stated on the business’s Facebook page. “Thank you all so much.”

Lake Jacksonville was also closed to public use for a short time as the heavy rain rose the lake to dangerous levels but was re-opened to all activities in time for the weekend.

“We ask people to be cognizant that the water levels are still high, and please use safe boating practices,” the Lake Association posted on its Facebook page.