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It appears that Gates County felt the brunt of Thursday’s strong line of storms as damage was minimal in Northampton, Hertford and Bertie counties.

“We had no major issues,” reported Northampton County Emergency Management Coordinator Ronnie Storey on Friday morning. “I haven’t had any reports of houses damaged.”

Most of the damage from the storm came from fallen trees and tree limbs throughout the county. Storey said he’d had reports both Thursday afternoon and Friday morning of fallen trees in Garysburg, Griffintown, Rich Square, Woodland, and near Lake Gaston. He said the DOT and local fire departments worked quickly to get roads cleared.

“They were just old dead trees that had soaked up water, and then the wind blew them over when the storm came through,” he said.

Some of the those fallen trees caused power outages within the county as well. Around 150 customers in Lasker were affected Thursday night as well as the traffic light at the intersection of Highway 158 and 258 outside of Murfreesboro. Storey reported that two county deputies directed traffic at that intersection until power was restored. A few houses in Woodland and on River Road near Lake Gaston lost power Friday morning as well due to fallen branches.

The storm did not bring any flooding to Northampton County, but Storey did report a few minor automobile accidents Thursday evening when the heaviest rainfall passed through the area.

Hertford County’s Emergency Management Director Chris Smith said they hadn’t received any reports of major structural damage in the aftermath of the storm. He said there were a few empty barns that lost tin from their roofs, and one house that sustained minor damage from a tree.

Smith noted downed trees and powerlines were scattered throughout the county.

He estimated about 1,400 Hertford County customers of either Dominion Energy or Roanoke Electric Cooperative lost power due to the storm. Most all, he said, had their power restored by Friday morning.

“No major flooding was reported,” he added. “We’ve been pretty fortunate so far.”

Bertie County’s storm damage was minimal according to County Emergency Services Director Mitch Cooper.

“We did have reports of downed trees across some of our roadways, but the Department of Transportation (NCDOT) had all the roads cleared as of 4 pm,” Cooper said.

Cooper said there is high water reported in the ‘Flat Swamp’ area of the county and it has accumulated on the road between Wakelon Road and Todds Crossroads, but it is expected to recede late Friday.

“DOT is monitoring that situation, but so far, no traffic has been impeded,” he noted.

Finally, the EMS Director said the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood warning for Bertie County as heavy rains have caused banks to swell. The high water is expected to crest sometime Friday night, but the NWS will probably keep the flood warning in effect until Monday, Feb. 10.