Actions

Power outages, felled trees and blessings as storm pummels Richmond

Posted at 6:22 PM, Jun 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-17 22:07:47-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- A powerful line of storms that triggered tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings across Central Virginia Thursday night downed trees and knocked out power to more than 150,000. By Friday afternoon, 135,000 power outages still remained, the bulk in Henrico and Richmond.

Dominion Virginia Power said Friday, at 6:22 p.m. that they expect a majority of Richmond customers will have power by late Sunday. Individual estimates to be available as projects are assigned, they said.

Officials said to expect outages for days. Do you know how long food keeps for in the fridge? How to get debris picked up for free? How to use your phone as a hotspot? Read on, reader.

I’VE GOT THE POWER. WAIT. NO I DON’T.

Patience, friends. Crews are extremely busy trying to restore power. It is going to take days for everyone to get it back.

Meanwhile, let's talk about frozen and refrigerated goods AND MEDICINE.

If your power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temps. The fridge will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half-full) if the door remains closed.

Frozen foods should be kept well below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and refrigerated foods should be kept below 41 degrees Fahrenheit. If at any point the food in your refrigerator was above 40ºF for two- hours or more, it is not safe to eat and you must discard it. :(

If you have medicines like insulin that require refrigeration, call your pharmacy to talk about what options are available. According to product labels from U.S. insulin manufacturers, it is recommended that insulin be stored in a refrigerator at approximately 36º to 46º F. Insulin products contained in vials or cartridges supplied by manufacturers may be left unrefrigerated at a temperature between 59ºF and 86ºF for up to 28 days. Check with your pharmacist to be sure.

WHILE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT POWER

ONLY DO THIS IF YOU HAVE UNLIMITED DATA.

  1. Tap Settings and Mobile.
  2. Tap Personal Hotspot and set Personal Hotspot to On.
  3. Tap on Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
  4. Tap Wi-Fi Password and enter a suitable password (this can be any password you choose, it's not related to your Apple ID or usual Wi-Fi connection).
  5. Check the name of the hotspot listed under "to connect using Wi-fi"
  6. Look for signal and select your phone as the hotspot
  7. Enter the PW from step 4
  8. Watch Orange is the New Black

BIG, BEAUTIFUL TREES -- ON MY ROOF, CLOSING MAH PARKS

“It seems like every storm that hits North Side, there is at least one home that is really devastated by it," said Council Member Chris Hilbert. "We love our big beautiful trees, they add so much character. But when something like this happens, there is a downside to having these mature trees."

So far, there are about $700,000 in damagesto Richmond Public Schools.

Bryan Park CLOSED

Bryan Park CLOSED

Parks and Recreation has adjusted their schedule due to damages.

  • Movies in the Park at Byrd Park is cancelled.
  • Festival of the Arts- Plunky and the Oneness is cancelled. A decision regarding the weekend performances will be made on Saturday, June 18.
  • Outdoor Pools will be closed until Monday, June 20. Swansboro and Bellemeade Indoor pools will operate on their normal schedules.
  • Pine Camp Arts and Community Center will not have dance classes today, Friday, June 17 or Saturday, June 18.
  • Bryan Parkis closed to all visitors until further notice because of down wires and trees. All scheduled programs and rentals are also cancelled.
  • Community Centers will be closed until Monday.

WET, WET GROUND

We had a mild spring, and the wettest May on record. The month started wet with over five inches of rainfall during the first week.  More heavy rain fell on May 17 and May 21, with both days receiving over an inch of rain.  Rainfall from Sunday and Memorial Day totaled 1.38″. Rainfall from Tropical Depression Bonnie pushed our monthly rainfall to 9.79″.

Have you seen the size of the root balls of some of the trees that fell? BUDDY! They were wider than Mark Holmberg is tall!

That rain contributed to the ease of which many trees were uprooted.

GET IT OUT OF MY YARD, PLEASE AND FOR FREE

The Henrico County Department of Public Utilities (DPU) is offering free curbside removal of tree debris created by the severe weather.

Residents must register, by phone at (804) 501-4275 or online at http://www.henrico.us/services/storm-debris-pickup. The deadline to sign up is Friday, June 24.

Read the rules for it,here.

For Richmond, please place yard debris, such as limbs and brush, near property line at the curb or near the alley for collection. Yard debris should not be placed in the street, alley or on the sidewalk.

Those choosing to dispose of their yard debris on their own can take it to East Richmond Road Convenience Center, 3800 E. Richmond Road. Beginning tomorrow, hours are being extended to include Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Regular hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

HENRICO ROAD CLOSURES

Henrico sent us a list. Richmond didn't. Nearly 100 roads are closed in Henrico County Friday morning due to downed trees following Thursday night's powerful storms. READ THEM ALL HERE.

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER

Or not.

For Richmond and Henrico, Friday’s last day of school never happened, nor did things like final exams, grades, report cards, teacher checkout, laptop returns, and picking up school medication and belongings. That still needs to be addressed. We will updateHEREwhen we know more.

BLESSINGS

"There is a blessing in this," said Dr. Johnnye Massenburg-Johnson, principal at Mary Scott. "The blessing is that it was the last day of school, so our children don't have to miss significant time out of school."

"But the biggest blessing is that no one was in the building, so no one was hurt," she added. "Everything that was damaged can be repaired or replaced."

Councilman Hilbert echoed that statement:

“It is going to take some time, I just want to say how much I admire and respect the people of Ginter Park and Bellevue. They have all been thankful there has been no loss of life or serious injury. They know they can rebuild their homes and that is what they plan to do."

WE WILL REBUILD, RICHMOND.

“I’ve been told that we pulled out every resource that we have, of the city personnel and Park and Recreations, to make sure that the response was as expansive and thorough," Hilbert said.

For up-to-date information and additional instructions from the City of Richmond, please visit http://www.Richmondgov.com, follow the City on Twitter @CityRichmondVA, and stay tuned to local radio and television stations.

BY THE WAY,

It's going to be really nice this weekend. A good opportunity to get out of the house -- since you don't have power -- and check out this cool new brewery in -- oops, Petersburg. It's called Trapezium. Find out why.

Also, check out the A-List for local events.

And...HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.

CBS6-News-at-4pm-and-Jennifer-Hudson-480x360.jpg

Entertainment

Watch 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' weekdays at 3 p.m. on CBS 6!

📱 Download CBS 6 News App
The app features breaking news alerts, live video, weather radar, traffic incidents, closings and delays and more.