Center Township resident shares tornado experience
Although the damage caused by the EF-0 tornado that touched down in Center Township on Wednesday, May 21, was minimal, the fright that it caused in some residents was anything but.
“That was more than just wind. That was not like any other storm that I have encountered,” said Center Township resident Erica Loomis. “It was the most terrifying experience of my life, I would say. I don’t know how we didn’t get any damage.”
Loomis’ home on Mahood Road was captured on camera standing up against the winds in footage that was posted to the Unionville Volunteer Fire Company’s Facebook page and broadcast on local news. The house is next door to the fire station.
When the tornado struck on Wednesday afternoon, Loomis was alone in the house with her two dogs. The tornado warning caught Loomis by surprise.
“I knew we were going to get bad weather, but I really didn’t expect it to turn into that,” Loomis said.
Loomis said she realized something unusual was happening when she looked out her window and noticed that the flag near the fire station was blowing upward.
“There’s a big flag in front of the Unionville Fire Department, and when I looked out, the flag was not blowing at an angle. It was going up,” Loomis said.
Homeowners are typically advised to seek shelter in a basement during a tornado if they have one. While Loomis’ house does have a basement, she could not access it in time, as hers is only accessible from the outside. At that point, stepping outside was not an option.
“Stuff was hitting the side of the house, so I didn’t have time to get to our basement,” Loomis said. “I had to get to the center of the house as quick as I could. I was hiding in the center of the house, hoping for the best.”
Despite the ferocity of the storm, Loomis’ house was ultimately unharmed, although the tornado did tear the roof off a nearby salt shed owned by the township. A tree in front of her house can also be seen getting torn apart in the footage.
“(The tree) landed on and beside our fence in the backyard,” Loomis said. “That's about all the damage that we took.”
It wasn’t until after the storm subsided Loomis realized the extent of the damage and that the storm was, in fact, a tornado.
“Once I went outside and saw what happened to the building behind our house, I kind of assumed,” Loomis said. “But it wasn't until they confirmed that it was a tornado that I definitely knew it was a tornado.”
