Entergy employees work to free power lines from the roof of a tractor-trailer rig in a ditch along U.S. 61 South Monday afternoon.(Brian Loden The Vicksburg Post)

[7/6/04]About 2,100 Entergy customers in Vicksburg and Warren County were without power again Monday evening after the third strong storm in nine days.

Separately, 1,900 homes in south Warren County were also without power after an 18-wheeler clipped a utility pole on U.S. 61 South.

Warren County Emergency Management director L.W. “Bump” Callaway said that high winds around 6 p.m. were responsible for knocking down about a dozen trees across the county, many taking down power lines. The storm was not as bad as one June 27 that left about half of the county in the dark or one Friday evening that left about 4,000 without power, but Monday’s storm did have Entergy crews out overnight, said Entergy spokesman Cheryl Comans.

Most of the outages were reported in the southern and eastern parts of the city and about 700 homes in Port Gibson. Power was restored to nearly all by 5 this morning, Comans said.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said the storm along U.S. 61 South was also responsible for a tree landing on a car and for stranding a family on the Yazoo River.

Pace said the southbound car between LeTourneau and Yokena was hit at about 6:30 p.m. by a tree that knocked out the vehicle’s windshield. No injuries were reported, he said.

Deputies also took out a boat on the Yazoo River to rescue a family in an aluminum boat that was adrift on the water when the storm came up. Pace said the family was found just south of Steele Bayou and were taken to land near the Kings Point ferry.

The driver of the 18-wheeler truck on U.S. 61 South, Broderck King, 102 Jennifer Drive, told police that he was southbound near the city limits around 2 p.m. when the 18-wheeler went off the right shoulder because of a mechanical failure, said police officer Darlene Jackson.

No injuries were reported, Jackson said.

The truck knocked down live power lines across the highway closing both north and southbound lanes for about 15 minutes. Entergy crews cut the power in order to move the lines, knocking out power to homes and businesses south of there, Comans said.

Power was restored to most of the homes affected by the broken line by 10 p.m., but about 40 homes along Jeff Davis Road were without lights until nearly 2 this morning because of a separate line knocked out during the storm, she said.

The National Weather Service in Jackson is predicting more rain for the rest of the week with some strong thunderstorms likely. Today’s forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of rain with a high temperature around 93 degrees.