Clean up and repairs continue at Southport after a severe thunderstorm passed through the region last Wednesday night. CEO Peggy May calls it the largest storm in Southport's history, noting about 32 trees were severely damaged, and multiple structures are in need of repairs. She notes while most of the clean up was completed last week, they still have crews working to restore the area. 

Southport CEO Peggy May

"It was a lot. We have a program where we take trees down and replant them every year, but nothing to that extent. So our staff, residents, and tenants were out clearing all day Thursday and most of the day Friday. It's still going on now, we've got a few companies helping us out."

Power and phone lines were knocked out by the storm, with most of the area without electricity from Wednesday night to Friday morning. May says one location that took the most damage was the Hilly Brown building, which saw not only damage from the debris tossed about by the wind, but also some impact from the rain.

"They lost a chunk of their roof, and there was water damage inside. They had their adjusters out. Once the power was back up they were back up and flying, operating as normal. Certainly, Thursday was a big inconvenience and a lot of clean-up for our people and insurance companies as well."

An estimated cost of the damage has yet to come in, but May says they've had their adjustors on site to review the damage. She notes the trees in Southport took the heaviest damage, with some buildings also seeing minor issues. May says while their services are back up and running at this time, it could be months before all structures are repaired. Fortunately, May says the military equipment and aircraft were all stored safely in the hangars during the storm.