LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A storm swept through Lenoir City on Wednesday night, knocking out power and toppling trees.

The next day, many people woke up to downed trees in their yards and blocked roads.

The Lenoir City Utilities Board told Local 8 News that between 500 to 1,000 people were without power at any given time throughout the night. LCUB crews worked to clean up the trees blocking roads.

Belinda Hedge lives in Lenoir City and said a tree fell down on a power line near her home. She said that sparked a fire, leaving her family without electricity or running water. The family used a generator Wednesday, but it needs to be refilled with gas every few hours.

Hedge said it's tough because she has two elderly parents she needs to care for. Her mother is diabetic and needs to eat every few hours.

"We couldn't cook. We couldn't fix meals. I've had to go out and bring meals in," she said.

She said trees blocked some of the roads to get out of the neighborhood.

Shannon Littleton, the general manager of the LCUB, says storms in the area can be dangerous.

"We had a fire last night from one of the trees that severed a power line. The power line was still electrified, so it got into a field that was nearby and caught field on fire," said Littleton.

Littleton says to prepare for the next storm, people need to look for trees that are in danger of knocking over power lines.

"If it's leaning dramatically towards a power line or if tree is brown or dead and also close to power lines," said Littleton.

If a tree is in danger of falling on a power line, the LCUB will send out a crew to cut it down.

Littleton said during a storm, people should go to a room that is the farthest away from large trees.