
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 19, 1994                   TAG: 9403190141
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WIND PROVES TO BE A REAL BLOWHARD

Wind blasts clocked at more than 50 mph forced the closure of the Orkand Corporation in Salem Friday afternoon after gusts ripped several large heating units from their bases and tossed them around the roof of the building.

According to Capt. Doug Conner of the Salem Fire Department, gas lines were pulled loose when the heating units were dislodged, and gas leaked inside the building on Apperson Drive.

No injuries were reported.

The Orkand plant was closed indefinitely pending an assessment of the damage by a structural engineer, Conner said.

"[The wind] just got up under the roof and started peeling it off," he said. "It did some substantial damage."

The wind also left 750 Appalachian Power customers in the Roanoke and New River valleys without power Friday, with 700 of the outages reported by Apco's Roanoke division.

The National Weather service issued a high wind warning for Friday until 10 p.m., citing fallen trees, downed power lines, and a tractor-trailer which was blown over on Interstate 81 in Rockbridge County.

by CNB