Chesterfield: Severe storms destroy homes, possible microburst

By Becky Robinette Wright

Storms charged through Chesterfield on June 28 in the evening and one family lost their home to the damage.

Strong winds in a severe thunderstorm, which local meteorologists are saying may have been a microburst uprooted a giant tree and like an axe chopping wood, drove it through the back of a home, slicing the back portion off in the 3800 block of Sherwood Forest Drive.

Four people, an adult and three children were in the home at the time. One 8 year-old was able to escape on his own by crawling out through the rubble and firefighters rescued the remaining residents via ladder from the second floor. All were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Another home in the same Camelot neighborhood was hit by lightning and caught fire.

“We were in our pool,” said neighbors Jerry and Brandon Welch, “when the wind just started blowing like crazy, we jumped out of the pool and ran for shelter and that’s when it really got bad. It was really loud.”

Trees littered yards, leaves were strewn across roadways and power lines lay scattered in several neighborhoods like broken string.

A CSX train was stalled on the tracks near the Kingsland Road/Chester Road crossing after trees fell across the tracks. Workers quickly cleared the tracks of debris.

Nearby Treemont subdivision had a multitude of down or broken trees dotting the landscape.

At the height of the storm nearly 8,000 people were without power.

Traffic lights were out and roads throughout the county were closed due to debris and power lines down.

This is a preliminary article and more information will be forth coming.