Witnesses describe terrifying moment tornado hit Atlantic Beach, "It was like a bomb went off"
Witnesses described the terrifying moments when a tornado hit Atlantic Beach on Long Island.
Dan Nesci from Long Beach was with his family at the time, playing kickball and enjoying a picnic.
"We didn't really get the warning until five minutes before. It just snuck up on us," Nesci said.
He said his kids were playing outside, and a minute later they were screaming for everyone to get inside.
"I hear the parents screaming, 'Get inside!'" said 11-year-old Anello Nesci.
Hundreds of people were near the Sun & Surf Beach Club at the time and took cover or evacuated. But they are grateful everyone was able to take cover and that no one was hurt.
"Definitely traumatic. There was a lot of chaos. The doors were all shaking and everything. I was able to pull one closed and then I ran out. I saw the disaster," said Christopher Nappi.
"Umbrellas started going up in the air, and that black thing was coming towards us. It was terrifying. All the people, it's a family here," said Denise Baumert, one of the owners of the club.
"The height was substantial. It showed the power of it and the ferocity, just based on the sheer size, it was definitely intimidating," Gianluca Lindh said.
The tornado brought back frightening memories for Long Islanders who have lived through disasters in the past.
"Haven't seen anything like this since Sandy," said Atlantic Beach homeowner Jack Hubbard. "[I'm] very upset."
"Things were blowing. It was like a bomb went off, and I remembered I lived through Hurricane Ian," said chef Michael.
"When you live at the shore, you know, almost any bad thing can happen," said William Baumert, who was home at the time.
But now residents and workers in the area are picking up the pieces.
"It's pretty unnerving," said lifeguard Patrick Fitzgerald. "It almost felt like a 'Wizard of Oz' type of deal."
"It's tough, but we will be back," Denise Baumert said. "It's buildings. They can be fixed."
