POINT TOWNSHIP - In what can only be described as a nightmare by David Englehardt, a tornado touched down just north of Northumberland borough Monday, leaving the 55-year-old man's property and at least 10 others in shambles.
"It was just like a freight train. Oh my God, it was loud," he said as emergency personnel from around Northumberland County cleaned up debris from Route 147 nearby.
His property, at 1597 Susquehanna Trail, was one of several that was heavily damaged by the twister. His backyard looked like a war zone, with sheds blown to pieces and scattered across the yard. His front yard was turned into a grove of overturned trees; the couch that once sat on his back porch was among the scattered limbs.
Fortunately, said Point Township Police Chief Joshua Van Kirk, no one was injured, but at least 10 homes were damaged to varying degrees.
Public Safety Director Steve Reiner reported that seven to eight homes along Route 147 suffered moderate to severe structural damage, and two homes were rendered uninhabitable.
Weather officials confirmed a tornado touched down in Point Township at 5:45 p.m. Monday. The damage stretched at least three miles in the township from the west border with Union County near the Susquehanna River toward the Montour Ridge on the township side.
Van Kirk said the tornado appeared to jump at times, causing less damage in several places compared to the others, as assessed by a state police helicopter.
While the National Weather Service confirmed tornado-like storms starting at 4:30 p.m. a mile northwest of Winfield, Union County, along the river, they will have to wait until they can assess the damage to calculate the wind speed, direction and place and time of origin of the tornado.
'Sucking water'
Englehardt, who has lived on six acres of land all his life with his mother and grandson, said he was outside when he saw the tornado spinning over the river. He described it as "motoring" and "sucking water" out of the Susquehanna. He quickly ran inside and took cover as it raced across his property, tearing up everything in its path. His house, while not destroyed, was heavily damaged and appeared to be leaning.
"It's unreal," he said.
He said he could understand what people are going through in Joplin, Mo., where at least 116 people died as a result of a tornado that hit Sunday.
"I never thought it would happen to me," he said.
'We're lucky'
Several miles away, on Comfort Road, Rob and Wendy Van Kirk, came home from their children's canceled soccer practice to find their driveway completely covered by dozens of downed trees.
Around their ten acres of land, trees were snapped in half. Their house, for the most part, was spared, and only a patio door was smashed in. A wooden swing set was destroyed, as well as a trampoline, a play house and landscaping.
"We're lucky," said Rob Van Kirk. "It could have been a lot worse."
In other parts of Point Township, a barn was damaged, and multiple trees and power lines were down. Route 147 was closed as cleanup took place. One report over the emergency scanner indicated trees of five to 10 feet in diameter had been knocked over.
One of the downed trees crashed near the PPL Service Station about a mile north of the borough. From all across the county, power and water outages were reported.
Chief Van Kirk praised the "overwhelming" amount of volunteers that assisted at the scene and said it was a testament to the community.
Not the first
Since official records began around 100 years ago, Union county reported only six tornadoes, and Northumberland county reports 10 twisters. Weather officials said these numbers are average for the state, with Crawford and Lancaster counties recording 36.
In June 1998, according to data from the National Climate Data Center, an F1 tornado touched down in Irish Valley. The storm weakened as it crossed the mountain ridges, but regained strength through the valleys along the 15-mile path. The tornado continued eastward over Big Mountain, through the community of Sagon, clipping the northern parts of Kulpmont and southern sections of Marion Heights and finally ended over the northern parts of Mount Carmel. One hundred homes in Kulpmont sustained minor damage, mainly caused from falling debris, although many lost pieces of shingles or spouting.