Through the storm: police respond
by Alex Ruano
During the course of any given year in any North Carolina city, various crimes are committed.
Police usually answer numerous calls pertaining to a variety of crimes; from domestic abuse to just a speeding car, they follow up on every call.
However, there have been times when they have dealt with events other than crime.
They were events that were out of human control.
Spring weather in Holly Springs
As spring rolls in, nature begins to come to life.
However, this can also bring unwelcome changes in nature, such as severe weather.
Tornadoes, to be more specific.
According to Weather.com, tornado season is generally during spring, but tornadoes can form during any time of the year.
Recently, there have been a few incidents of severe weather in North Carolina, some of which have been very destructive.
Colleen Henke, a High Point University student, said that her hometown was hit by one of the recent tornadoes.
“There was a lot of damage, but it wasn’t severe. It hit a few areas, but it did not go through the entire town,” said Henke, who lives in Holly Springs, NC. The area that Henke lives in was not hit.
Henke says they were lucky. "I heard that it intensified as it went toward Raleigh," said Henke.
While tornadoes do not always follow severe weather, they can occur and be cause significant destruction.
That type of destruction is familiar to some in High Point.
High Point tornado
On March 28, 2010, a tornado ripped through neighborhoods in High Point.
According to a report from the National Weather Service, extensive damage was sustained to many businesses and homes in several areas.
Seth Caldwell, a resident of High Point and former High Point University student, lives in one of the affected areas.
"I was at HPU at the time," said Caldwell. Caldwell was listening to the news as well as a police scanner.
"On the scanner, I heard an officer say he saw a house get struck by a tornado. That house was on my street," said Caldwell.
Caldwell raced home, but said that he had difficulty. "There was so much debris in the area, I almost didn't make it to my house," said Caldwell.
Caldwell came home to find his family was safe and his house was not damaged, even though the tornado had been close by. "The tornado had literally destroyed houses less than a block away from mine," said Caldwell.
High Point Police were prepared to take action during and after the tornado.
“We were called in immediately after it hit,” said High Point Police Commander Tim Ellenberger. A tactical team was sent in no less than 30 minutes after the tornado had struck.
At the time, Ellenberger was in charge of the street crimes division of the High Point Police Department; he was in charge of the tactical team sent to the affected areas for search and rescue.
“We met at the fire station to begin patrolling,” said Ellenberger. Ellenberger would answer calls for the next 12 hours of people who were trapped in their homes.
According to police, the streets and areas that were affected were:
- Silverstone Court
- Hampton Park Road
- Brandon Drive
- Johnson Street
- Briarwood Avenue
- Old Mill Road
Ellenberger recalls answering a call to go to Old Mill Road to help a man trapped in his house.
“The roof was gone. I could see flashlights in the distance (in the house), but I had no idea where I was,” said Ellenberger. “Nothing looked the same as it should,”
After removing the trapped man, Ellenberger noticed that he was in front of a friend’s house. However, the house, like many others, had not escaped damage.
“It looked like the house was under construction. It had been completely destroyed,” said Ellenberger.
Ellenberger's friend was in the house and was safe. "It was close. He really dodged it," said Ellenberger.
The aftermath
While the tornadoes happened a year apart and in two different places, the damage was the same.
However, so was effort of the police and the community.
When the sun came up, Ellenberger was able to see the full extent of the damage.
On a stretch of road on Main Street, he could see fallen power lines and telephone poles.
“It looked like someone had taken them, balled them up and threw them on the street,” said Ellenberger.
Ellenberger was also amazed at how some neighborhoods were destroyed while other neighborhoods nearby were untouched.
"One house would be destroyed while another a few houses down would be intact. One house even still had plastic lawn furniture in the front lawn, untouched," said Ellenberger.
The rest of the week, police provided 24-hour surveillance of the affected areas. “We were keeping people who weren’t supposed to be there out and keeping everyone out of dangerous areas,” said Ellenberger.
Police were making sure thieves did not take advantage of the situation by stealing from damaged homes and businesses. Police only let residents into the area to recover belongings.
People came with different tools and items to help. "A few people brought a chainsaw to help remove debris from homes and the local streets," said Ellenberger.
People in the High Point community also helped each other. "I took a week off from classes to help clean up my neighborhood and help others in the community," said Caldwell.
In Holly Springs, police were helping with the cleanup. However, there were more than just a few officers doing all of the work.
"We had about 25 officers helping with the effort," said Parrish. On a regular day, there are only five officers on hand.
In High Point, there were 75 officers helping with the cleanup effort in the beginning. "What was surprising is that we had off-duty officers volunteering to help," said Ellenberger.
However, even though severe weather had torn through their cities, they were reminded of how the community can come together when there is a need.
"When a disaster hits, people begin to notice the small things in life more," said Parrish.
Parrish said that in a continuous 65-hour shift, the public works department managed to get the streets and area clear of debris.
"People were thanking them for clearing the streets. Normally, no one ever thanks them for the other 364 days of the year they work. It was remarkable," said Parrish.
Parrish said people were calling to volunteer. "There were people wanting to know where they could help with cleaning up. We told them to go where they thought needed the most help," said Parrish.
Ellenberger said that the amount of volunteers was surprising. "We had so many, we had to set up a station to handle them," said Ellenberger.
Police in High Point had set up a police bus and a police command vehicle as a base to bring in volunteers from the community.
Ellenberger said that there was some good that came out of the tornado.
"People were volunteering to clean up areas and people were dropping off food and supplies for the local fire department and police. Basically, to see a community come together was a big positive." said Ellenberger.
Related links
The strength of a tornado
Tornado hits High Point
Severe weather in April
