GATLINBURG (WATE) - The most damaging storm since the blizzard of 1993 left a wide swath of damage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, killing a man and woman, injuring others and causing a temporary evacuation of two principal areas.
The storm hit around 6:00 Thursday night.
East Tennessee fatality
Rachel Burkhart, 41, of Corryton, died in the Abrams Creek area when she was struck by a falling tree. She was trying to get out of the water at a popular swimming hole off the Cooper Road Trail about a half mile from Abrams Creek Campground.
The tree knocked Burkhart and a family of three - a mother, father and seven-year-old girl - back into the water. The girl was trapped under the tree, rescued, and CPR was successful.
The girl's father was severely injured with fractured vertebrae and ribs and a collapsed lung. He and his daughter were flown to UT Medical Center. The girl's mother was also injured and taken to UT by ambulance.
Georgia fatality
A motorcyclist, Ralph Frazier, 50, of Buford, Georgia, was killed when a falling tree limb struck him on the head about a half mile east of the Townsend Wye. He had a female passenger who wasn't injured.
Frazier was the owner of a Harley Davidson dealership in Buford.
Storm damage and injuries
Officials say the storm took down hundreds or maybe thousands of trees in a line stretching from Metcalf Bottoms, across Cades Cove to Abrams Creek at the park boundary. Hundreds of motorists were stranded for hours.
Many people also had to wait hours to receive treatment for their injuries. Eight hours after the most intense storm, park rangers were still trying to reach visitors trapped in Cades Cove.
On the Cades Cove Loop Trail, a man was hit on the back by a falling tree near the Methodist church.
A tree fell on a car near Cades Cove Campground, sending broken windshield glass into the driver's eyes. There was also a man who had a cardiac incident at the campground.
All of the injured from Cades Cove were taken to Blount Memorial Hospital.
Closures
Officials have closed access to Cades Cove. The campground will remain closed until Sunday evening.
These roads are temporarily closed: Little River Road from Elkmont to the Townsend Wye, Laurel Creek Road, and Cades Cove Loop Road are closed.
The Abrams Creek Campground is also temporarily closed.
Park service staff will try to locate people who may be in affected areas of the backcountry. There are no reports of injured hikers or backpackers.
All unoccupied vehicles along Little River Road and Laurel Creek will be checked and their owners accounted for.
Emergency Shelter
An incident command post, along with a Red Cross shelter, is in operation in Townsend at Tuckaleechee United Methodist Church.
Many people had to wait hours to receive treatment for their injuries.
A crew in the Abrams Creek area
Hundreds of downed trees crossed the Little River and Laurel Creek Roads.
Crews continued clearing roads on Friday. (source: National Park Service)
Several roads remained impassable. (source: National Park Service)
