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So here's the story. Last night about 9-ish, a small tornado formed around Covan drive and Red Bank, and proceeded northeast. There were some thunderstorm warnings for Franklin county below us, but nothing for Delaware county other than a thunderstorm watch.
The tornado moved to the northeast very rapidly - first target was a high-tension power tower (steel) which fell across Harlem road. Then there was a group of homes along Gorsuch road, mostly new builds. Second floor gone off one, ground floor wall pushed into the house, etc.
The storm tracked along Duncan's Run (diagonal wooded road heading due northeast, right behind Steve Robeano's house) tearing houses and trees bigtime. Steve tells me he heard the noise, opened the front door and the Freight Train was in the air over his house. He said that over 20 years of tornado chasing, he finally got to hear the freight train.
The tornado touched down again just a few hundred yards from Steve's place - taking out a barn, and flattening Allen Fling's house (Lt. on Harlem Fire). It kept going to Needles Road, where it took out two very large barns at our good friend Gary and Ann Piper trucking company and grain dryers all on the ground.) Gave us a fit because there were four thousand-gallon propane tanks overturned and leaking, amidst downed power lines and a transformer all within 50 feet of the tanks.
At least one new build one-story across the road from Piper's was gone- slab left only. Total 14 or 15 flattened or major damage. No injuries!
By all accounts, the thing went so fast there was little more time than to shout a warning. Most people I talked to who'd come out of their damaged homes said it hit so fast they didn't have time to go to the basement. One little guy I worked on (minor cuts, couple stitches) said he was on his bed in the second floor. Somebody yelled to hit the floor, and as he did, the second story of the house was gone. His bed was out in the yard. Dad found him in the upstairs hallway. There were a couple "people trapped" runs, but they were minor.
As far as I could tell, there NEVER WAS any type of tornado warning issued during the events. Take your Doppler and hit the door, jack. Didn't do us any good last night. It was a small tornado, judging from the tracks left in the cornfields where it wandered. Stan