BAKERSVILLE — Heavy winds, rain and a tornado warning this past week sent Mitchell County schools into the earliest weather closure in recent memory on Wednesday, Aug. 18 followed by a two-hour delay on Thursday, Aug. 19.
Superintendent Chad Calhoun during the regular meeting of the Mitchell County Board of Education on Thursday, Aug. 19 talked about the closure.
“I think this is the earliest we have ever had a weather closure but it was very much justified,” he said. “We had a couple of schools without power, several roads we could not have traveled if we wanted to because of fallen trees and power lines that had come down. It was a very good call that we didn’t have school [Wednesday].”
Calhoun recognized the North Carolina Department of Transportation for working to clear the roads and clean up the mess the severe storm left behind.
“We probably could have gone regular this morning but we wanted more daylight just in case something was missed,” Calhoun said. “We did run across one road where a tree had fallen overnight and a bus driver had to back out.”
Calhoun also thanked the local maintenance workers for their work to ensure schools were safe for students to return.
“For safety first, we went into protocol and kids got down in the halls, books over their heads,” Calhoun said. “Everyone did a great job. Even brand new kindergarteners who have never been to school were in a tornado drill and did an excellent job. So, it’s been an eventful week.”