Tumbling DownStorm damages building, topples trees

Published 11:30 am Thursday, May 31, 2012

A city building was damaged and a broken power pole caused a minor oil spill in the county as a fast-moving storm whipped through the Vicksburg area Wednesday evening.

A pile of bricks covered the sidewalk at 1418 Washington St. after falling from the vacant business building during gusty winds around 5:30 p.m.

David Sharp, son of the building’s owner, Harry Sharp, said the building did not suffer structural damage but it was unclear why the bricks fell off its facade.

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The National Weather Service reported 30 mph wind gusts during the storm, which hit Warren County around 4:45 p.m. Highest sustained winds were about 20 mph, and nearly an inch of rain fell during the evening in some spots in the county.

Two trees were reported down in the county, said Sheriff Martin Pace.

One, at the end of Southall Drive, off Mount Alban Road, fell on power lines, causing a pole to break and the transformer on it to rupture when it hit the ground, spilling the oil inside.

About 30 customers were without power for a short time while Entergy crews rerouted electrical service in the area, said spokesman Don Arnold. Three other homes directly served by that line were without power for several hours while crews replaced the pole and transformer and cleaned up the oil spill.

A second tree fell at the intersection of Culkin Road and Logue Circle, temporarily blocking traffic, Pace said.

No injuries or private property damage were reported, said Pace.

Following a brief thunderstorm and showers around 7:30 this morning, the NWS was forecasting a mix of partly sunny skies possibly interrupted by thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, with light winds, a high near 87 and a low around 64.

The weekend is forecast to be sunny, with highs from 85 to 90 and lows in the 60s.