Surrounding communities recovering from Sunday night’s devastating storm
Trees on the right side of Golf Club Road, outside of the Pittwood neighborhood entrance.
A tornado hit Pittsylvania County Sunday night at six p.m. starting with heavy rainfall and severe winds, wreaking havoc from Danville to the Gretna area. Superintendent Dr. Mark Jones closed Pittsylvania County Schools for Monday, April 16, due to fallen trees and downed power lines. Students will not be required to make up this day due to it being a banked day.
All sports games scheduled for April 16 against Dan River have been rescheduled for April 30. Those original games scheduled for April 30 will now be on May 4.
As many as 1,300 Pittsylvania County residents are still without power. The City of Danville has closed off part of Westover Drive due to the damage from the storm. Reuben’s Restaurant on Riverside was also affected by the storm, knocking its sign over into the median and parts of its roof.
Many Tunstall students are employed by Reuben’s, including junior Hannah Rich.
“When I saw pictures, I felt bad for my coworkers, but driving past it was surreal and gave me the same feelings as if that happened to my own home,” said Rich.
“My mind went into not freaking out in front of my kids. We were definitely glad to have our battery box lantern and camping supplies,” said Mrs. Morgan Stowe, who lives in the Mt. Hermon area where the storm hit.
Other areas of Danville affected by the storm include: Pleasant Gap Drive, Golf Club Road, Riverbend, Mount Hermon, Riverside Drive, Piedmont Drive to Berry Hill Road, and Mount Cross from Mill Creek Road to Stony Mill Road.
“I was at Walmart because I needed groceries, and the rain and wind was extremely loud. They announced on the intercom for a code black, so I had to stay in the fitting rooms from 5:45 until 6:30,” said sophomore Hannah Day.
A state of emergency has been declared by Gov. Ralph Northam as he is working with local and state agencies to fix the wreckage the storm caused on Sunday.
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