The winds ripped a new roof right off the Maranatha Outreach Center on East Dupont Avenue in Belle. The new roof, which sat on top of an old, leaky roof, had only been on the church for a few months.

"It sure came down a lot quicker than it went up," said one church member, shaking his head while some congregation members helped move the debris that was formerly their roof off the street.

The roof blew off the building in one large piece, landing on its top to the left of the church shortly after 1 p.m. When it crashed on Kanawha Street, it folded over on itself, said Dave Nelson, assistant chief of the Belle Volunteer Fire Department.

Nelson and other firefighters worked for more than three hours to clear debris beside and around the church. Firefighters were forced to cut the still-intact roof into smaller, more manageable pieces to move it off the street, before sweeping the area for loose nails and other debris.

Nelson said that losing the new roof "is a shame. It hadn't been on that long." High winds likely slipped in between the new and old roofs and ripped the new one off, he said.

"Now it's up to the insurance companies and the church to decide what to do," he said.

On Wednesday afternoon, congregation members settled for putting tarps over the old roof to prevent serious water damage inside the church.

Plenty of other places across Southern West Virginia felt the impact of the high winds.

Nearly 51,000 Appalachian Power customers in Southern West Virginia were without power shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. That included nearly 8,000 in Mercer County; more than 7,000 in Wayne County; more than 6,000 in Kanawha County; and more than 5,000 in Lincoln County.

Reports of winds at least 60 to 65 miles per hour were reported at a few locations higher than 1,000 feet, including 74-mile-per-hour winds reported at Yeager Airport shortly after 3 p.m.

The strong winds made driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. At least 24 accidents were reported in Kanawha County that could be linked to the weather.

More than 600 weather-related calls, including blown transformers and trees and power lines down, were received at Kanawha County's Metro 911 Center between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m., when winds were worst. Traffic lights were out at many intersections, including busy ones like the one at Corridor G and Emerald Road by the Ashton Place shopping center.

The county's Emergency Operations Center was put on standby, but Dale Petry<co >, director of emergency services for Kanawha County, didn't have to call out for any extra help.

The National Weather Service issued a wind warning for much of the northern and eastern part of the state, including Fayette, Raleigh, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Monroe, Mercer and McDowell counties, until at least 10 p.m. Wednesday. A wind warning means sustained winds of 40 mph or gusts of at least 58 mph are expected, along with property damage and fluctuations.

The rest of the state, including Kanawha, Putnam, Boone, Jackson, Lincoln and Logan counties, was under a wind advisory until at least 10 p.m. Wednesday. A wind advisory means that sustained winds of at least 31 miles per hour are expected to blow through the region, with possible gusts around 45 miles per hour.

A flood warning was issued for the Greenbrier River in Greenbrier, Summers and Monroe counties. The river was expected to crest slightly above its flood stage of 14 feet overnight. Minor creek flooding was also possible in Fayette County overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

Allegheny Energy, West Virginia's other major electric provider, reported more than 16,000 customers without power as of 6:15 p.m. Wednesday.

In addition to the high winds, a potent storm was expected to move into the state Wednesday evening. A cold front associated with the system could lead to dangerous driving conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

Reach Kathryn Gregory at kathr...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5119.