'Like A Bomb' Annapolis Neighborhoods Reeling From EF-2 Tornado With 125mph Winds
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- An EF-2 tornado tore an 11.25-mile path of devastation through Anne Arundel County on Wednesday, and people are still cleaning up the mess.
On Drew Street in Annapolis, there's damage everywhere you look from trees on cars to downed power lines.
Joyce Huey lived through the powerful tornado. She described it as a "like a bomb" going off in her community.
She showed WJZ the large tree that fell at the end of her driveway.
"I never heard a thing until things started banging against the walls," Huey told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "I gingerly opened the drapes and perked out, and the next thing I saw was that huge tree that always stood at the end of the driveway. It was totally down. I was stunned."
She said, "it's like a blessing" that none of her neighbors were injured.
One block away, Jan Lee came back to a home without part of its roof.
"It might be six months for us to get back into our homes," she told Hellgren. "I'm probably still in shock. I'm like, 'Is this real?' I'm not sure. Just shock. Shock and awe. Disbelief."
Behind her on West Street, you could see the sky after the tornado ripped the roof off one business. The governor toured the damage and promised to help with state and federal aide.
"You really can't appreciate how bad the damage is until you get here on the ground. Everyone saw the images on television all night, and it's obviously devastating. But It's worse than people would expect. We're just so thankful we didn't have any loss of life, and we really didn't have people who were seriously injured," Hogan said.
And while some are still reeling from the storm, others whose homes are not damaged came out to help.
"We grew up in this community. If it happened to me, I would want them to do the same thing. These people are family and we are going to be there for them," said Viola Johnson.
The City of Annapolis declared a state of emergency, which brings more resources to those who are still suffering from the devastation of this tornado.
According to the Annapolis Department of Planning and Zoning, building inspectors determined there are 38 people displaced with three buildings destroyed, 24 condemned buildings, 26 structures with major damage, and 49 buildings with minor damage. "Those numbers are expected to rise as inspectors continue their work on Thursday," the city said in a statement.
