A storm powerful enough to overturn trucks on the interstate whipped through The T&D Region Wednesday afternoon, knocking down trees and power lines.

The storm formed in Georgia and moved across South Carolina with winds reaching 60 to 70 mph. Homes were damaged, and the Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities reported that an estimated 8,000 customers were without power at one point.

The winds knocked over a tractor-trailer loaded with bread and another truck on Interstate 26 east of Orangeburg near the U.S. 301 exit at about 4:45 p.m., according to Lance Cpl. Bob Beres of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

“They were both traveling west when inclement weather came through and the wind slid both trucks on their sides,” Beres said. The occupants of both vehicles were wearing seat belts and none were injured.

One lane of the interstate was closed for about two hours. On Wednesday evening, the bread truck was emptied of its cargo so it could be turned upright.

Beres said there won’t be any charges in the incident, as “it was Mother Nature that caused the accident.”

Orangeburg Department of Utilities Manager Fred Boatwright said the utility’s full crew was attending to the outages Wednesday evening, plus an additional three contract crews were hired.

He said the work would continue overnight.

Orangeburg County Emergency Services Director John Smith said county fire departments responded to more than 50 reports of downed power lines and trees throughout the county within an hour of the storm.

Terry Evans of the Cordova area was sitting at home when he heard a loud, snapping sound. The source of the sound was a large oak tree that had fallen down in his driveway.

Evans has enjoyed the tree for the 10 years he’s lived in his home, placing different decorative flags on it as the seasons change.

“I guess I’ll have to find someplace else to put the flag now,” he said.

He said, “We’ve had worse storms than this and the tree was still standing. It was just one of those things. Luckily, nobody got hurt and it didn’t hit one of the cars.”

The porch and roof were ripped off a manufactured home on Project Road near Bowman. In Orangeburg, a tree fell on a vacant home on Dantzler Street, and a home on Edisto Drive sustained some damage.

There was a report of a pedestrian hit in the area of S.C. 33 and the U.S. 21 bypass. He was transported to the Regional Medical Center.

A tree fell down on a railroad track outside Rowesville. Railroad companies were immediately notified.

Smith said there were unconfirmed reports of two funnel clouds, one near Eutawville and another near Branchville and the Bamberg County line.

Bamberg County Emergency Services reported many trees down, along with many power outages. No injuries were reported. Beres reported a car in the county was struck by a tree; however, damage was minimal and the car was still able to function.

Calhoun County Emergency Services reported only a few trees down and a power outage on Mack Hill Street. There were reports of some damage in Lexington County as well.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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