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Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Westmoreland County drive-in screen destroyed by Tuesday's storm
The rubble left behind from the original Evergreen Drive-In movie screen, built in 1947, is a testament to how strong the winds were on Tuesday. 'One of the neighbors said it lifted up in the air,' said Joe Warren, Owner of Evergreen Drive-In. 'It almost looked like, he said, like the Wizard of Oz when the house was flying.' Warren said this is actually the second time the screen has been damaged by storms this year! 'Middle of March, I guess, when tornado winds went through the area. It damaged it internally, but it didn't take it over,' he told Channel 11's Andrew Havranek. Warren said after that damage in March, he was planning to replace the screen this year and have a celebration to retire screen one, since its the original that was built in 1947 for the Ruthorn Drive-In. He was with the electricians inside the screen just an hour before the storm on Tuesday. They were looking to see what internal mechanics could have been saved for the new screen. 'It could have been [bad], but I think honestly, I'm smart enough, I wouldn't have gone in there during that storm,' Warren said. The good news, Warren said, is no one was hurt, and the screen didn't damage anyone else's property. He also said the drive-in is still ready to go this weekend, with screens two and three. But, he said, it will be tough this summer without all three screens running. 'We will replace it. It's going to take some time,' Warren said. 'The best case scenario, if this would have to happen, would have been at the end of our season but it's going to be a challenge now during the peak of our season, now, the summer months.' Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Westmorland County residents urged to report storm damage to local emergency management coordinators
Severe storms ripped through Westmoreland County on Tuesday and residents are still feeling the impact. The original Evergreen Drive-In movie screen, built in 1947, is a testament to how strong the winds were on Tuesday. 'One of the neighbors said it lifted up in the air,' said Joe Warren, Owner of Evergreen Drive-In. 'It almost looked like, he said, like the Wizard of Oz when the house was flying.' RELATED COVERAGE >>> It's just one example of the widespread damage across Westmoreland County from Tuesday's storm. 'We had approximately 220 downed electrical wires, 116 or so downed trees as of Tuesday night,' said County Commissioner Doug Chew. 'There's likely more that are still coming in as people tell their emergency management coordinators.' Chew said the 911 center had more than 5,000 calls on Tuesday. That's five times the normal daily call volume. 'Between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, there were approximately 400 calls per hour,' Chew said. Now, as the county continues to clean up the damage, Chew said it's important to report it as soon as possible to your local municipality's emergency management coordinator. This could help the county reach a threshold to declare a countywide emergency and get additional funding. 'That's the biggest piece of advice,' Chew said. 'Opening up an emergency declaration for the whole county could help a lot more than just one person, it would help all of their neighbors and themselves, both.' Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
