Two Tornadoes Spotted In Sturbridge, Monson Unrecognizable
STURBRIDGE (CBS/AP) - At least two tornadoes have touched down in Sturbridge in a matter of hours, causing widespread damage.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager spoke with employees at a McDonald's in that town who said they told customers to move away from the windows. They went into the bathrooms, and employees went into the restaurant's refrigerator while the storm passed.
There haven't been any reports of injuries in that area.
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A one-half mile section of the town has been shut down. Homes are damaged, trees have been uprooted.
Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski says some people in the town suffered cuts, scrapes and bruises but he had no immediate word of serious injuries.
Suhoski said emergency crews are cleaning up and assessing damage. A shelter has been set up in town at Tantasqua Senior Regional High School.
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Planes at the Southbridge airport were tossed around when the tornado came through. They were completely destroyed. Shingles were also torn from nearby buildings.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports.
A pastor in Monson says a tornado took down his church's steeple and battered houses and uprooted massive trees.
The Rev. Bob Marrone of The First Church of Monson said roads are impassable after the storm.
A steeple that's stood since 1938 toppled off his church, but Marrone said he's more concerned about massive damage to homes in Monson, south of the Quabbin Reservoir in western Massachusetts.
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Marrone said when the storm hit, he and his wife took shelter in the first floor of their house, until breaking windows led them to flee to the basement. He said he emerged to find nine of 10 oaks along his driveway down and a crab apple tree tossed 150 feet.
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