National Weather Service Determines EF-2 Tornado Left Path Of Destruction In Berks County
MORGANTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- The National Weather Service determined an EF-2 tornado touched down in Berks County on Tuesday night, leaving destruction in its path. An EF-2 tornado produces wind speed between 111 to 135 mph.
EF-2! tornado damage found by storm survey team in Berks County. Additional data to come. #pawx
— Lauren Casey (@ClimateCasey) May 29, 2019
Morgantown is about 20 minutes south of Reading and one of the hardest hit areas in Berks County. Some people say they feared for their lives during the storm, which passed through here in about 30 seconds.
Home surveillance video shows a tornado ripping off a garage door here in #Morgantown, #BerksCounty https://t.co/x62sH5gJ9H pic.twitter.com/IhRnhED5wM
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) May 29, 2019
The sound of chainsaws replaced wake-up alarms for people in Morgantown's Valley Pond community. Cleanup and repair crews got an early start on Lexington Way the morning after a tornado touched down there just after 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
There is destruction just about everywhere you look here in #Morgantown pic.twitter.com/dyBb6rUzaI
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) May 29, 2019
Strong winds left a trail of destruction, scattering debris, shattering windows and uprooting fences and trees.
"It's pretty bad. From past experiences, this is probably the worst I've ever seen," said Jake Schultz, with Newcastle Lawn and Landscape.
Crunched cars, vinyl siding blown into trees and roofs with missing shingles are just some of the damage left behind after a tornado spun through parts of #BerksCounty last night https://t.co/ejCksbzx4B pic.twitter.com/ocF8ObyH3d
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) May 29, 2019
For most people, it was their first encounter with such a powerful storm.
"We've never had anything like this before, never. We've been here 15 years," said Morgantown resident Tom Taylor.
PPL utility crews managed to restore power to the community within a few hours. Still, some like Tom Wetzel, whose home was extensively damaged, will have to stay elsewhere for a while.
"The holes that are in the roof that are pretty big, but yeah, there's a beam in the middle of our living room. Insulation is everywhere," Wetzel said.
Though many of his possessions are destroyed, Wetzel said he still feels lucky being able to get his kids to safety in the nick of time.
"I got to watch the window explode in on us, while we were shutting the bathroom door. I have two kids and a cat and they're all fine," Wetzel said.
Greg Huss is cleaning up the mess left behind as siding from his home hangs in trees.
"The house was actually moaning as the wind went through. We thought we were going to lose the top of the house at one point," said Huss.
Bill Pyle said his home was condemned after part of his roof is missing and a wall was blown out.
"Every bedroom has a lead in the top floor," Pyle said.
Morgantown officials say anyone who has damage should report it at the municipal building. They also have staff on hand to help.
CBS3's Trang Do and Matt Petrillo contributed to this report.