Thousands without power as storms hit across East Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Storms hit East Tennessee early Saturday morning. While the majority of the storms were out of the area by the time most of the region woke up, utility crews were still working to control outages and clean up debris throughout the morning.

Knox County

At 5:00 a.m., Knoxville Utilities Board officials reported that over 16,000 customers were without power.

By 9:00 a.m., KUB reported that about 3,200 people were still without power. Officials shared several pictures of trees covering power lines, saying that crews were working to restore power.

Sevier County

Sevier County Electric System reported 3,647 customers were without power through its outage map.

Loudon County

Several power lines were down across State Route 444 in Loudon County. First responders and utility crews were working to clear the roadways at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Loudon County Sheriff’s Office officials said that cleanup will take several hours, so people in the area should avoid the area if possible.

Cocke County

Emergency responders started their day early by clearing roadways of debris in the roadways. Cocke Emergency Management Agency officials advised drivers in the area to drive slowly while crews worked across the county.

This is a developing story. WVLT News will update the story as information changes.

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