Tornado touches down in Lanexa; Tropical Storm Michael damages New Kent, Charles City

A tree stretches across Barnetts Road just prior to the railroad tracks in Charles City.

A tornado spawned in the Lanexa area of New Kent was the result of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Michael on Oct. 11.

The National Weather Service determined Friday afternoon that an EF0 tornado, capable of wind speeds reaching between 65-85 miles per hour, touched down near Colony Trail causing massive damage to the area. The tornado was one of seven that touched down according to the National Weather Service.

The tornado warning went out early Thursday morning to most of Virginia localities, including New Kent and Charles City. Superintendents of schools closed schools early while businesses boarded up. The storm passed through Charles City and New Kent that Thursday night into Friday morning, causing a widespread power outage. According to Dominion Virginia Power’s website, all but 54 residences in Charles City lost power while all but 142 lost power in adjacent New Kent.

Along with the power outage, many roads in both counties were closed due to flooding or trees down across the road. Cleanup efforts got underway thanks to law enforcement officials and neighbors bonding together. In New Kent, citizens begin picking up debris from neighbors that blew into their yard. In Charles City, the removal of a tree that fell in the graveyard was part of cleanup efforts. Power gradually came back on starting Friday afternoon in both localities, with many people having service restored by Tuesday.

There were no fatalities in Charles City or New Kent due to the storm. Clean-up and readjustment continue for citizens and the rescheduling of local events is underway. Charles City and New Kent Sheriff Offices thanked citizens who sacrificed time to cut trees from the road, provided meals, and checked on the elderly and disabled during the troubling time.