'We Dodged A Bullet': Ocean County Residents Cleaning Up After Tornados Spawn In New Jersey
OCEAN COUNTY, N.J. (CBS) -- Ocean County residents are saying they are lucky after the National Weather Service confirmed two tornados from Thursday's storms.
"We dodged a bullet," one local couple tells Eyewitness News.
Weather officials say an EF-2 tornado in Waretown and an EF-1 in Barnegat Township spawned from the evening storms, leading to roofs torn off and plywood sent flying like spears. The National Weather Service also confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Windsor, New Jersey.
The NWS also confirmed at least three tornados touched down in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
In Ocean County, terrifying moments for those seeking shelter in their own homes.
"Then all of a sudden, the house started shaking like a train went by, and it's like 30 to 45 seconds of fury," the couple says.
The storm forced resident Tim Piringer to do a double take out his window at one point: his boat was upside down from the winds.
"This is a thousand-pound boat," he tells CBS. "It got picked up and tossed."
The majority of Long Beach Island is still open for visitors. For now, residents are thankful the damage wasn't much worse as they continue to pick up the pieces.
CBS3's Kerri Corrado contributed to this report.