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NEWS

Ida’s soaking rain causes headaches

Friday, November 13, 2009
(Updated 1:46 pm)

The rain that has soaked the state for the past three days closed some roads and toppled trees, but the Triad area largely escaped serious damage .

Area waterways, including Horsepen and South Buffalo creeks, spilled over their banks with the rain, which totaled more than 5 inches in some places but did not cause major flooding.

Melanie McDonough , spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, said the agency did not have to assist any residents. “We’re still monitoring it,” she said.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida did exact a toll, however.

A young Rockingham County mother died Wednesday night when a large tree fell on her truck, the Highway Patrol said.

Terra Swinney, 28, of Lowe Road in Madison , was killed instantly, Trooper S.L. Wagner said. Her 2-year-old son remained unharmed in the back seat — the roof caving to within an inch of his face.

Swinney was on her way home, traveling north on Witty Road near Brown Road , when the tree fell from the side of the road onto her truck, crushing her.

Swinney was on the phone with her husband at the time of the accident, Wagner said . Her husband said he heard her say, “Oh, no,” and the horn started blowing, Wagner said.

Others escaped brushes with the storm, including a woman who had to be rescued Thursday in Rockingham County. The woman ignored barricades set up along River Road because of flooding, said Rockingham County Deputy Fire Marshal Tommy Curry .

Curry said the woman, whose name was unavailable, climbed on top of the truck with her belongings. He drove his four-wheel-drive vehicle into the water and pulled her to safety with the assistance of a county firefighter.

“Normally, we wouldn’t tell people to do that,” Curry said of the rescue effort.

Over the span of a few days, the storm dropped several inches of rain across much of the state, according to the National Weather Service. Parts of both the mountains and coast received more than 10 inches .

Rainfall at Piedmont Triad International Airport set records on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Water swamped a sewage treatment plant in Burlington on Wednesday, sending an overflow of roughly half a million gallons of wastewater into the Haw River , according to the city.

Uprooted trees unable to find solid purchase in the drenched soil toppled and knocked out power in Guilford and Rockingham counties, although just a few hundred homes in each county were without power Thursday afternoon.

Otherwise, the weather mainly caused road closings, with N.C. 770 in Rockingham County and High Rock Road in Guilford among those affected.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

Nelson Kepley

Photo Caption: A large tree had fallen on Cleburne Street near Kimberly Drive in Greensboro. knocking over power lines Thursday. 

Additional Photos

Rainfall by the numbers

  • Tuesday: 0.67 inches
  • Wednesday: 2.49 inches (record)
  • Thursday: 1.64 inches as of Thursday afternoon (record)

A slight chance of rain is expected today , but the weekend should be sunny with highs above 70 degrees.

Source: National Weather Service

Comments

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Newzerboy

November 13, 2009 - 8:44 am EST

You tell us that "rainfall at PTI set records" but you never say how much that was.

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