Hurricane Irene blew through our area on Saturday, leaving a trail of damage and over 92,000 Henrico County residents without power at the height of the storm. Sustained winds above 30 miles per hour and gusts well over 60 brought down trees and power lines and blocked many roads.
By early evening, winds reached their height and uprooted trees already weakened by five to seven inches of rainfall. In the Shoppes at Westgate across from Short Pump Town Center, three large oaks littered the parking lot, one narrowly missing the drive through of Bank of America. At Pemberton and Three Chopt, a large tree blocked the entire roadway.
At the Short Pump Food Court, water poured in through the roof, which was leaking heavily in three or four areas. Many stores both in and outside of the complex closed early, but the mall itself remained open.
As the rain and wind tapered off Sunday morning, those without power flocked to coffee shops and breakfast spots. Panera Bread and Starbucks at Broad and Lauderdale had lines snaking out the door and into the parking lot by 8:30 a.m.
Our photos and video, along with reader-submitted content, can be seen below.
[youtube width=”460″ height=”290″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ET9pGdfSuI[/youtube]