AHOSKIE – Wednesday’s stiff winds gave an Ahoskie family a brief scare.

Fortunately, all escaped unharmed when a sudden burst of wind ripped an attached carport from their Pembroke Avenue home around 3 p.m.

Mary White said she was at home with her mother, sister, son and nephew when the wind kicked-up.

“It happened so quickly,” said White. “The wind had been blowing all day, but then it rushed up real quick and a lot stronger. The next thing we know our carport was lying in the front yard.”

The aluminum covering, which can accommodate two vehicles, was attached to posts anchored within the cement driveway. The top of the carport was blown approximately 80 feet from the driveway. The posts, while bent, remained anchored.

An attached covered walkway from the driveway to the rear door of the residence was also damaged, as were some roof shingles.

Jones said a visitor was on the verge of entering their home when the incident occurred.

“We yelled at him to get inside and close the door; I think the carport blew right over his head as he was standing there,” she said.

Contacted by telephone later Wednesday afternoon, Hertford County Emergency Management Director Charles Jones told the R-C News-Herald there were no other damage reports in the county.

Ahoskie Assistant Fire Chief Eric Whitmeyer was dispatched to the residence to survey the damages.