Granville and Person counties both took a beating from the rain and wind brought on by Tropical Storm Michael.
People in Granville County were ready for rain and flooding — that’s what Hurricane Florence had brought them and they expected Michael to do the same.
They got wind, instead, and it wreaked havoc. Trees were down and power was out across the county. Multiple roads were closed.
“I had to turn around six times to find a way to get back home,” said Kate Brady, who attends a church in Oxford.
“We were expecting more flooding and just didn’t think about the wind because we had so much flooding during Florence.”
The county has seen more than its share of wind damage recently — it was swept by tornadoes in February 2016 and again in May 2017. While both caused damage, neither caused injuries or death.
On Thursday, winds from Michael blew down a giant tree, destroying a home in Stem with a man inside at the time. He didn’t want to go on camera, but said he had to dive out of the way and under his entertainment center when the tree hit the house. He said no one was injured. His dog had to be rescued from the house, but he said she was OK, too.
Less than two miles down the road in Stem is a gym — in a building now owned by a family living across the street — that once hosted high school basketball games. Wind ripped through the building, knocking a hole in one side and leaving the wall a pile of rubble and bricks.
The owners say they want to rebuild the historic structure and hope to turn it into a community center.
