WBOC-TV 16, Delmarvas News Leader, FOX 21 -
CAPE CHARLES, Va. (AP/WBOC)- A fierce storm packing powerul
winds, softball-sized hail and rain toppled dozens of trees and flipped
recreational vehicles at a campground Thursday, killing two people and
injuring more than two dozen, officials said.
Those hurt were
taken to hospitals with most of the injuries ranging from cuts to
broken bones. At least one person was in critical condition.
The
storm slammed into the Cherrystone Family Camping & RV Resort
shortly before 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. The sprawling campground on the
Chesapeake Bay has pools, mini-golf, cabins and several piers for
fishing. About 1,300 people were there when the storm hit, according to
the state Emergency Management Department.
"All hell broke
loose," said Joe Colony, who has been coming to the campground for 30
years. "We got an emergency message on a cellphone and within 30
seconds, the thing hit and it blew down 40, 50 trees in the park."
Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller confirmed the deaths.
"It was a disaster. I don't ever want to do that again," said Colony, of Stevensville, Md.
The
National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for the area that
expired at 9 a.m. Thursday. A team was headed to the site to determine
if a twister hit.
"It came in real quick," Eastville
volunteer firefighter Brittney Eder told The Associated Press in a
telephone interview. "The sky turned jet black."
Eder said she left the campground before the full force of the storm hit.
Joe
Micucci said he and his wife couldn't escape in their car because of
hail the size of softballs, so they rode out the storm in their camper.
He said he felt fortunate they weren't hurt.
"We saw at least
five (campers) that were flipped over. One was completely gone and only
had its wheels left," said Micucci, of Washington Township, New Jersey.
Micucci
and others were evacuated from the campground to a nearby high school.
He said he wasn't sure when he would be able to go back and survey the
damage.
The 50-year-old campground is located on 300 acres in rural Northampton County, according to its website.
Peter
Glagola, spokesman for Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, said the
hospital was treating more than two dozen patients as of Thursday
afternoon, most of which were in fair condition with injuries ranging
from cuts to broken bones.
Glagola said more patients were
expected to be brought to the hospital, which is about 30 minutes north
of the campground. One patient in critical condition was flown to VCU
Medical Center in Richmond, he said.
Hospitals in Virginia
Beach and Norfolk had been preparing for mass casualties but had
received just three patients, one of which was taken to a nearby
children's hospital, said Sentara Healthcare spokesman Dale Gauding
Coast
Guard spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class David Weydert said crews also
were responding to reports of boats overturned in the water in the area.
Good Samaritans pulled at least three people from the water, he said,
though their conditions were unknown.
dent.
SOURCE [WBOC.COM]
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