Officials Confirm Tornado Touched Down In Lancaster County, Damaging Homes And Ripping Off Roofs
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down in Lancaster County when severe storms moved through on Sunday night. A brief EF-1 twister touched down in East Cocalico Township.
Homes were damaged, roofs were ripped off and trees were toppled.
Tornado warnings were issued in parts of northeastern and central Pennsylvania on Sunday.
A NWS survey team and Lancaster County EMA visited northern Lancaster County to investigate storm damage from last evening. The team has indicated that a brief EF-1 tornado touched down in East Cocalico Township. Additional details to come #PAwx https://t.co/JypGMjQyXJ
— NWS State College (@NWSStateCollege) May 20, 2019
In Lehman Township, Luzerne County, a tree fell across Hunstville Idetown Road and landed on a pickup truck. Officials say the driver suffered minor injuries.
The tree also brought down power lines, but homes weren't affected.
In the Poconos, officials say a tree crashed down on two trailers at Maple Rock campsites near Tannersville, crushing the middle to the trailer. One woman was trapped inside, but was rescued without injuries.
"The people in the one trailer here, I guess the tree came down, and they were sitting in the front, and thank God they're OK. It's a shame everything is destroyed," said neighbor Bobby Aiello.
In Northumberland County, a rock slide closed Route 11. In Wilkes-Barre, a family on Mallery Place was trapped inside their home after a tree came down in their yard, blocking their front door and taking the power with it. A vehicle was also damaged by the falling tree. No one was injured.
In Sheshequin Township, near Towanda, wind picked up and all of a sudden a tree was inside the back of a home.
"We went up on the roof to check the stability of the house. Three-quarters of the roof is smashed in, so we are calling the house unsafe for occupancy a this time," said Ulster-Sheshequin Fire Department Chief Josh Gardner.
Gardner says storms like this cause damage that can sometimes get in the way of emergency crews doing their job.
"It's power lines. We've got to make sure there's no power lines involved. Obviously we don't want anybody getting electrocuted. Traffic, if it's across the road. If it's into a house, how is the house? Is it stable?" said Gardner.