Tornado wreaks havoc in Delaware

The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado did touch down in a small community in Kent County Monday afternoon where dozens of homes suffered structural damage.

Some residents in Camden, Delaware are left with no place to live and some big expenses after a EF-0 tornado ripped through the Barclay Farms development. According to National Weather Service officials wind speeds reached 85 MPH. Homeowner James Hanacek tells WHYY/NewsWorks his house was torn from its foundation.

Hanacek says it sort of looked like a tornado that wasn’t quite formed when it hit, but he said it was massive.  “The thing was like woop woop woop I said we got get in because it started spinning,”said Hanacek.

And in a matter of seconds, Hanacek and his wife were trying to take cover.  “We went in through the double doors as soon as I got those double doors closed, things just started flying all over the place and I said ‘Hon, hit the floor.’  We went on the floor and laid there until it was passed,” added Hanacek who was taken to the hospital after he was injured by a piece of flying glass.

Hanacek and a firefighter were the only two injured on Monday.

“I believe it was a tornado,” said Dan Dilling, spokesman for the Camden Wyoming Fire Company, speaking of the storm that damaged more than a dozen homes in Barclay Farms. “We actually had one of our firemen that was on, just happened to be in that area, actually see a tornado and capture it on his telephone,” 

NewsWorks is working to obtain a copy of that video.

“Numerous houses had structural damage, many roofs, porches, a lot of debris, garage doors and that sort of thing were all taken off homes,” Dilling said.

According to the fire department, 16 homes altogether sustained damage; 10 suffered severe structural damage, six of which were deemed uninhabitable. Dilling says the Red Cross was on hand, Monday, to help the displaced. 

Dilling says the fire department shut off power to the damaged homes for safety’s sake, adding, for many, the power still has not been restored. 

Meanwhile Tuesday afternoon, Delaware Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Cragg took some time to tour the storm-damaged area of Barclay Farms in Camden-Wyoming following yesterday’s severe weather. 

Gov. Jack Markell is in North Carolina at the Democratic National Convention.

Some residents in Camden Delaware are left with no place to live and some big expenses after a EF-0 tornado ripped through the Barclay Farms development. According to National Weather Service officials maximum wind speeds reached 85 MPH.  Homeowner James Hanacek tells us his house was torn from its foundation.

 

Hanacek says it sort of looked like a tornado that wasn’t quite formed…..and it was massive

 

“The thing was like woop woop woop I said we got get in because it started spinning,”said Hanacek.

 

And in a matter of seconds, Hanacek and his wife were trying to take cover.

 

We went in through the double doors as soon as I got those double doors closed things just started flying all over the place and I said hun hit the floor we went on the floor and laid there until it was passed,” added Hanacek who was taken to the hospital after he was injured by a piece of flying glass.

 

Hanacek and a firefighter were the only two injured on Monday.