Heavy winds swept through our region this weekend and now cleanup is underway.
Parts of the iconic Dr. Pepper sign in Downtown Roanoke came tumbling down over the weekend. The owner of the salon below it, Jim Roberts, said he heard it fall during heavy winds.
“It was a loud crash,” Roberts said. “I hope it gets fixed, I think that it’s a really valuable part of downtown.”
Keurig Dr. Pepper owns the sign and released a statement.
“We’re working with a third party to assess the damage and understand next steps for repair so that this historic landmark in downtown Roanoke remains a source of pride,” the spokesperson said.
On Monday, crews repaired extensive damage to the Advanced Auto Parts sign on Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke.
Fallen trees were another issue for many, including the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center. They suffered nearly $25,000 dollars in damage.
Staff said the Eastern Screech Owl inside is alive but escaped into the woods. They’re hoping to prevent damage like this in the future.
“We do work with tree services in checking out our trees and making sure that they’re sturdy,” Levi Stiverson, Outreach Coordinator at Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, said. “We’re definitely going to start doing that more now because this is just such a shock.”
Meanwhile, Appalachian Power Company said they’re finishing up restoring power. As of a little after 2 p.m. on Monday, there were still some people without power in Roanoke City and County, as well as Grayson County, according to spokesperson George Porter.
“At this time right now we’re in really good shape,” Porter said. “We look to have everyone restored before the night’s out. We have 1100 now still without power, so we made really good progress.”