Tornado causes widespread damage in Highlands Ranch: "I probably shouldn't have been there"

The cleanup effort in Highlands Ranch is massive: hundreds, if not thousands, of trees fell during a tornado that touched down Thursday, many falling on homes. No one was injured, as far as officials know, but the property damage was extensive.

CBS News Colorado investigator Brian Maass surveyed the damage from that EF1 tornado Friday. "EF1" refers to the tornado's strength and subsequent damage; the next strongest after EF0 out of six storm strength categories.

Douglas County authorities are going street by street, mapping damage and they have issued a disaster declaration. Residents there are reeling from the disaster that ran through their neighborhoods.

RELATED: National Weather Service surveys damage from Highlands Ranch tornado

"You can see how the fence blew down when this tree blew over," said Wayne Humphrey.

Humphrey has lived in the Stoney Point subdivision for decades. A big selling point for him was the tree cover, but much of it is now gone.

"It seems like the ground was just so wet. The root balls were just unable to hold on to anything," he said.

Trees were uprooted and fell on his house. Many other massive trees had blown down around his neighborhood.

Asked how surprised he was about the depth of destruction, Humphrey replied, "it's pretty shocking actually."

RELATED: Tornado downs trees in Highlands Ranch, tree limb drop-off sites open

The nearly 100-mile-per-hour winds were so strong, they took out a brick column next door.

Half a block away, 87-year-old Ron Gerber saw the twister rip concrete shingles off his home.

"It was loud and noisy and I probably shouldn't have been there," Gerber said. "There's a round section that just kind of lifted up and it tore all the shingles away and went some other place."

That place was Maria Sopcich's home, where damage was extensive, but she says that's just property

"We're very grateful we're all healthy, we're all alive. That's the important thing," said Sopcich.

With fences down, rooves and property damaged, insurance agents and tree companies are now out in full force.

Humphrey says his community is pulling together and helping each other out, but they know all those trees, now gone, will impact the look and feel for years to come: "It's gonna change the feel and ambiance of the community."