Maryland tornadoes and severe storms left behind damage in Carroll County neighborhoods: "This is total devastation"
BALTIMORE -- Carroll County had confirmed tornadoes strike in Eldersburg on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is investigating several storm damage sites across Maryland.
There were 22 tornado warnings issued Wednesday night across the region, which is the fourth most on record for a single day for NWS Baltimore-Washington.
"It was so powerful"
Carroll County residents explained they saw dark skies and heard rushes of air.
That's when many of them went into their basements to ride out the storm. They say they are grateful no one was hurt here, but, trees were uprooted and now lay on yards and across homes.
"I heard this roaring sound. I looked outside it was so dark," Nurdan Kuzu said. "I was shaking. It was so powerful."
Kuza shared a video of a funnel cloud behind her home.
She said she heard a roar of air and ran for a closet in her basement.
"I was in a little square. In that closet, we have suitcases and Christmas stuff, so I was just there sitting and waiting for it to pass," Kuzu said.
Cleaning up the mess
Some homes on Bartholow Road had minimal tree damage, while Carl Gatzke's yard was littered with trees, branches and outdoor items.
Some shingles off his roof and siding from the exterior of the structure were ripped off.
He believes the potential tornado went around his home, leaving it largely untouched.
"Everything's beautiful one minute," Gatzke said. "And then this is total devastation."
Gatzke says he was out to dinner when his son called him saying there was a tornado warning near their home. That quickly turned into a confirmed tornado warning, meaning debris was being picked up by radar signatures.
The winds threw trees in their backyard to the ground and whipped siding and roof panels off the home.
Another home nearby had a trampoline on its roof, and power was out for the majority of the day on Thursday. This community runs on a septic system, so most of them had no water as well.
"The house is standing, my kids are safe," Gatzke said. "You just get the energy to push throughout and rebuild. It's hard."
Carroll County Emergency Management was clearing roads of debris and downed powerlines for most of the day.
Assessing the damage
Emergency Manager Valerie Hawkins told WJZ that this is something the county trains for and that this area is no stranger to dealing with severe storms.
The county's emergency operations center was partially activated Wednesday night.
"Mainly, the work that we're doing today is making sure we have some good damage assessment information," Hawkins said. "We're working collaboratively with the National Weather Service on storm surveys."
"We got your back"
Residents say despite the terror the storm caused, it brought the community together.
"Everybody came together, you know, they hug each other, so we're like, 'We got your back, we got your back.' It was very caring and touching," Kuzu said.
"The kids will go back to baseball tomorrow, they'll go back to school. And we'll start the clean-up process which will probably take a couple of months," Gatzke said.
Preparing for the next storm
Carroll County is encouraging residents to heed warnings like this for future storms.
Make sure you have emergency kits, water, extra food and other supplies handy.
During a tornado warning, it is also important to remember to get to an interior room or basement with as many walls between you and the outside as possible.
