Monday, April 29, 2013
Top news of the week from our Patches around Virginia and DC.
Patch has 31 community sites in Virginia and D.C. Here are some of the top stories from around the region over the past week. 16. Mark Wahlberg Visits: Actor Mark Wahlberg visited T.C. Williams High School on Wednesday morning for an assembly presented by Get Schooled, a nonprofit that aims to engage high school students in an effort to improve graduation rates and empower more students to achieve in college. “I had to work really hard to get where I’m at,” Wahlberg said. “And I don’t mind working really hard to try and maintain it." 15. Runner Pledges 30 Races: Arlington resident Lauren Bailey is halfway through a personal challenge that has been daunting and exhilarating — running 30 races in one year, the year of her 30th birthday. …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Department of Public Works is offering special pick-up, instructions for larger items, following the April 19 tornado in Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg residents may place moderate quantities of tree debris from the recent storm at the curb (or shoulder) for collection by Public Works crews, at no charge, until Sunday, May 12, Doug Fawcett, Director of Public Works, said. Large branches, pieces of trees and tree stumps need to be hauled to the dump by the resident or the company cutting the tree down, Fawcett said. "Our service is for small debris," he said. "Residents who are removing entire trees or large portions thereof should not place debris at the curb," he said. Residents are asked to be careful not to place materials where they block sidewalks, fire hydrants or drainage inlets. Residents also should not mix any other materials with the tree debris. After May 12…
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Intense straight line winds were confirmed in Spotsylvania County.
An EF-1 tornado in Fredericksburg and intense straight-line winds in Spotsylvania damaged homes and left thousands without power Friday night. "The tornado touched down at 6:36 p.m. EDT on the Westwood Shopping Plaza, ripping off roofing materials and ventilation units," the National Weather Service said in a preliminary report released Saturday night. "It traveled northeast through a residential area, uprooting and topping trees and causing roofing damage." The path was about 3/4 of a mile long and peak winds were 90 miles-per-hour, the NWS said. Photos: Trees Down, Homes Damaged from Fast Moving Friday Storm The tornado passed just west of Hugh Mercer Elementary School and the adjacent police barracks. It then tore the roof off some …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Heath Mullins has numerous injuries after a wall fell on him at at Cheer Fusion. He rushed kids into safety before the incident and his mother said the kids are calling him a hero.
Two parents who were in Cheer Fusion during Sunday's storm on Fleming Street are in fair condition at Mary Washington Hospital. Heath Mullins, 38, has numerous injuries, including two broken bones in his back, a seriously injured knee, broken left ankle, broken toes on his right foot, multiple lacerations that needed stitches, and a small piece of debris penetrated his right wrist causing numbness, said his mother, Donna Mullins. The building's roof tore off during the storm. "The wall fell on him," Donna Mullins said on her way to Mary Washington Hospital, where Mullins and another parent, Michelle Smith, are both in fair condition. Smith's injuries are not known at this time. Donna Mullins said her son and another father yelled for the …
John Bettis said he was watching the hail fall outside his bathroom window when all of the sudden he heard a loud boom.
Check out the photo gallery of Sunday's powerful storm. John Bettis thought another earthquake had struck the Fredericksburg area Sunday afternoon. But this wasn't an earthquake that shook the foundation of his home—it was either a microburst or a tornado with winds above 100 mph reported in some areas. "All the lights went out and it lifted the house up," he said outside his heavily damaged home at 4010-1 Lafayette Blvd. "And then boom!" Spotsylvania County fire and rescue members safely removed Bettis and his wife, Pamela, from the home that was crushed by the airborne roof from 86 Fleming St. where about a dozen cheerleaders with Cheer Fusion were inside practicing along with a dozen or more parents. Mandi Spina, the cheer director, …
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Fleming Street was heavily damaged when a rare, powerful storm believed to be either a microburst or possible tornado struck the Fredericksburg area.
The National Weather Service hasn't confirmed if it was a tornado, microburst or some other type of rare storm that caused havoc on Fleming Street just a few miles south of the Fredericksburg border with Spotslvania County. "We would have to survey to be sure," an NWS representative said today. They can't make a determination at this point and will discuss Monday if they will be sending a surveyor. One things for sure: those directly affected by the storm said it felt like a tornado. John Bettis, who owns a home that was heavily damaged when the roof from 86 Fleming Street devoured the right side of his home and roof, said he felt his house lift in the air when the storm was at its height. He and his wife, Pamela, were not injured, but …
Kristi
3:35 pm on Sunday, April 21, 2013
I grew up in Fredericksburg area during 70s, 80s, and early 90s. I just don't recall tornados and derechos back then. I wonder what all has caused the shift in weather patterns over the past 10-15 years in that area? I now live near Atlanta, but rest of my family still lives there. more ›