SEVERE WEATHER: Damage Reported in Region, Sign Crushes Cars

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Posted: 6:28 PM Apr 11, 2008
Last Updated: 11:50 AM Apr 12, 2008
Reporter: WSAZ First Warning Weather Team
Email Address: news@wsaz.com

33 comments

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A severe line of storms sweeping across the WSAZ viewing area has produced several reports of damage.

A Shoney's sign was toppled by the strong winds in Logan just before 6:00 Friday night. Several cars were crushed by the falling sign.

Click on the pictures to enlarge:

The first photo above was sent in by Jonathan Click from Logan, WV. Amber Gore e-mailed in the rest of the pictures.

We have also received pictures of a toppled Taco Bell sign in Logan.

In Pike County, Kentucky, dispatchers tell WSAZ.com that U.S. 23 was closed for several hours near the Wal-Mart in Pikeville due to downed power lines. The highway reopened about an hour ago.

So far, we haven't gotten any reports of injuries due to this severe weather.

If you have taken any severe weather pictures and you'd like to share them with use, e-mail them to pix@wsaz.com. Please only send us 2 to 3 of your best pictures.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: John on May 9, 2008 at 09:12 PM
About 8:50 PM as we were going over Sycamorr Mtn. just before reaching the power company building and before decending the mountain to Chattaroy road/Buffalo Creek, we were hit by a heavy hail storm. Hail from 1/2 inch to 2 inch in diameter. Stopped traffic. Covered the road with ice. Damaged my pick-up truck. About a half bushel of hail accumulated in the bed of my F-150.

Posted by: KJ on Apr 16, 2008 at 01:23 PM
Glad everyone is ok! I can only judge from the photographs, but that is a seriously large sign for what size base plate I am seeing. Are you required to have your pylon signs engineered for wind load in this town? If not - this is not the only sign that's coming down! You should look into this for public safety.

Posted by: Karen on Apr 14, 2008 at 11:57 AM
That is one enormous sign... and one very small looking base, from what I can see in the photo. Once this is all over, I hope someone looks into the permits for this sign - was it engineered for wind load?

Posted by: Tessa on Apr 13, 2008 at 12:57 AM
The storms did not hit my area to bad although we did wotness cloud to ground lightening. I read other comments and it sounds like a smoall tornado aswept through. I was watching that W.Va. is more likely to have severe weather now. Even if we have mountains we can still have destructive weather such as a tornado. I think there needs to be a special show about tornado safety andit should be manditory to have a plan. I do believe there was a small tornado. We need to be taken more seriously when it comes to severe weather. I hope to become a severe weather expert one day.

Posted by: kevin on Apr 12, 2008 at 10:49 PM
I drove that maroon car 2 hours before that happened. that was my moms car im glad she wasn't hurt.

Posted by: Ruth on Apr 12, 2008 at 07:07 PM
Josh Fitzpatrick said it best this morning. This just goes to show you how severe weather can impact your life in an instant.

Posted by: ivory on Apr 12, 2008 at 06:33 PM
the storm in logan friday did alot more damage then that in rockhouse at mudfork in logan uprooted huge trees one fell on a womens house along with power lines and in cora on four seasons road it pulled off the roof of a trailor and destroyed a womens whole pool deck a severe gas leak was also a big problem in the cora area.

Posted by: tina sparks on Apr 12, 2008 at 05:09 PM
A tree also fell on a trailer in the Mud Fork area that caused some bodily injuries,but no life threatening injuries..The trailer was owned by May and Darrell Issacs from what it loooks like lightening might've hit it during the storm causing it to fall it crushed and destroyed their dwelling leaving them without a home

Posted by: jeanetta watkins on Apr 12, 2008 at 04:01 PM
good job on storm

Posted by: Debby on Apr 12, 2008 at 10:45 AM
The 3rd picture is of the taco bell sign if you look close. I was caught in a storm in 2000 that was intense like this one. They said a tail of a tornado had came through Logan. Me & this girl that was walking near me at the bridge near Logan Regional was almost thrown off the bridge. We were really scared. We couldnt see around us & it blew us into the rails of the bridge & we almost fell over the sides. It was very scary so I can imagine how scared people were yesterday. Has there been much damage to the park?

Posted by: Anonymous on Apr 12, 2008 at 10:38 AM
We were in Logan for the Midland-Logan baseball game. The strong winds came very quickly. Everyone was piling in the concession stand to get out of the way of the flying debris. We are just grateful no one was injured.

Posted by: becca on Apr 12, 2008 at 09:51 AM
If you look, they DID show the taco bell sign that fell. Click on the third pic and it's there.

Posted by: lucy on Apr 12, 2008 at 09:19 AM
My daughter-in-law instructed my 6 and 2 year old granddaughters to pray as she was putting them in their down stairs closet. She also told them not to come out until she returned. She said it was terrifying. Lots of downed trees and structural damage. Thank God no one was hurt.

Posted by: shoneys customer on Apr 12, 2008 at 09:02 AM
I visit this shoneys very often. I know the family that owned to ford truck in the pictures. Im so thankful noone was hurt they are a very loving couple. Thank god no one was hurt !!

Posted by: Cecilia on Apr 12, 2008 at 08:39 AM
It was a tornado that swept thru Logan County on 04/11/2008. My husband seen the funnel cloud sweep through the area of Mud Fork. Trees fell on neighbors trailor entrapping them inside. There trailer is totally destroyed. leaving them homeless now. It picked my house up and slammed it back down on the block foundation. There is structural damage done. People in Logan County were left with no power, phone lines down. Trees down in the roads, where people could not get through to check on family and friends. There is alot of dmage and many people just don't have the money to fix there places back up. Keep all of the people of Logan County in your prayers.

Posted by: WELLS on Apr 12, 2008 at 08:35 AM
THAT WAS NO ORDINARY THUNDER STORM. I WAS LOOKING OUT MY WINDOW NEAR SHONEY'S WHEN IT HIT. THE WIND BEGAN GUSTING THEN SUDDENLY A WHITE (CLOUD) APPEARED FROM THE EAST (ROUTE 10) HEADED TOWARD MY HOUSE. I WAS SEARCHING FOR MY DOG AND FEARED HE MAY BE OUTSIDE SO I STARTED TO THE DOOR WHEN I HEARD THE SOUND OF A FREIGHT TRAIN. I DID MANAGE TO OPEN THE DOOR, BUT HAD DIFFICULTY. IT FELT LIKE THE DOOR HAD SOME TYPE OF AIR-LOCK PULLING FROM THE OUTSIDE. I LOOKED OUTSIDE AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE GOING IN CIRCLES. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS A TORNADO, BUT IF IT WASN'T, IT WAS VERY CLOSE. I AM STILL WONDERING WHAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DATA IS.

Posted by: Nate on Apr 12, 2008 at 04:35 AM
NOTE TO SELF-Never park close to the "interstate" signs when going out to eat.

Posted by: Gladys Crum on Apr 12, 2008 at 02:50 AM
I live in Verdunville which is just about 4 miles from Logan where the signs came down. The wind was very strong here,I have never seen winds blow through here that strong.A home about a mile down from us Had a Full grown ( LARGE) tree up rooted in their yard,Lucky it went side ways when it the winds pulled it out of the ground roots and all since it covers the length of the front yard. God was watching over many here in and around Logan when that storm roared past us.

Posted by: Todd on Apr 12, 2008 at 02:07 AM
The 3rd picture is of the Taco Bell sign for whoever wanted to see a picture of it.

Posted by: MISTY on Apr 12, 2008 at 01:21 AM
YES, THANK GOD NOONE WAS IN THOSE CARS ... THE MAROON ONE WAS MY SISTERS CAR

Posted by: tom on Apr 12, 2008 at 01:05 AM
that was my chevy cavalier that got crushed it was a scary storm glad no one was walking on the parking lot when the sign fell

Posted by: kc on Apr 12, 2008 at 12:21 AM
isnt the 3rd pic the taco bell sign?

Posted by: Stephanie on Apr 11, 2008 at 11:42 PM
My aunt and I were watching the storm from the picture window in our living room. I wentto let our dogs in and all of the sudden the wind started blowing crazy. I didn't get to see much of the storm personally, but I saw the aftermath. The signs falling was not the only damage done. In Coal Branch Hollow, roof's were blow off, fences were torn down, and mail boxes were almost uprouted. Trees were all over the place. I'm glad that no one was hurt

Posted by: sherry on Apr 11, 2008 at 11:31 PM
yes thank god no one was hurt by it sounds like a torn. hit or almost. I didn't see taco bell sign did it fall too?

Posted by: Anon. on Apr 11, 2008 at 11:22 PM
I'm originally from Mingo Co., and judging from those pics, that was one brutal storm. I'm glad no one was in those vehicles. Storms like that are rare in the southern mountains.

Posted by: T on Apr 11, 2008 at 11:12 PM
I want to be a storm chaser/ severe weather expert. And I have a question. Can Huntignton get tornadoes?

Posted by: Retha on Apr 11, 2008 at 10:09 PM
At 10:05 it was hailing in Logan

Posted by: Me on Apr 11, 2008 at 09:08 PM
I'm just glad to hear no one was hurt!

Posted by: The Wicked Storm on Apr 11, 2008 at 08:47 PM
I was working over at the school bus facility when this storm roared through Logan. All I can say is if those winds did not top 100 MPH then they were just simple gusts. We watched the taco bell sign bow like a fishing rod then straighten then topple in the torrential rains all you could actually see was sort of a silhouette of the sign and then it started to bow again and over it came. There is damage to the club known as BJs at the triangle, the corner of Logan Grade's gymnasium is damaged - trees down everywhere as well as cars damaged from flying objects. From what I understand several homes sustained damage in the city of Logan. Coming home I noticed leaning up on the side of the old Hileg Myers some sort of broken material unsure where it came from. This storm was scary. I have been in micro bursts and inline winds before but these were intense. I would say hurrican strength in the bottom at least.

Posted by: Bill on Apr 11, 2008 at 08:11 PM
I was at the Midland-Logan baseball game and it was wild as strong winds blew open the doors a the concession stand and at least six or seven people were holding both doors to concession to keep them from opening again. I would say at least a 6-foot section of the centerfield wall was blown away and other signs were blown off the wall at Logan's Roger E. Gertz Field. No players or coaches were on the field or in the dugout.

Posted by: Anonymous on Apr 11, 2008 at 07:54 PM
THAT IS CRAZY!!!

Posted by: johnny on Apr 11, 2008 at 07:44 PM
why didnt they show the taco bell sign

Posted by: Kelly on Apr 11, 2008 at 07:28 PM
Thank God, No one was in these cars.

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