HAMPTON, Va. (WTKR) - A massive tornado that started as a water spout in Portsmouth ripped through Hampton, as well as much of the Mid-Atlantic, on Friday tearing down trees and damaging vehicles.
A giant tree came crashing down on Angela Clifton's front yard. "It sounded like a train. It sounded like a train coming," Clifton said. "My husband looked out the window and he said, 'Oh my God, the tree down!'"
WTKR reporter Eric Levy said the root system for this tree went way over his head. Behind him, crews were trying to break it up and get rid of it soon because it was stretched across the street into the Sasser's front yard.
Delsie Sasser and her family reacted very quickly. "When we saw the tree coming at the house, we got everybody into a closet versus just being in the area." The tree missed their house by only a few feet, but their vehicle wasn't so lucky.
"It's our only vehicle," Sasser said, "so right now it's got the tree on it, and it can't be moved until they get everything else down."
A heavy duty front end loader pulled the tree apart as men with chainsaws broke it down even more to be hauled away so Dominion Power crews could come in and restore electricity in the neighborhood.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: June 1 storms down trees, knock out power across Commonwealth
- Weather Service confirms tornado hit Petersburg
- Storm damages almost a dozen Petersburg homes
- Severe reports from Friday storms
- PICTURES: Upload your storm damage and weather pics
- Witness: Tornado sucked items from hotel
- Check out these videos of reported tornadoes across Va.
- Tornado, waterspout hits Hampton
- Storms cause damage across Central Virginia
- Severe weather threat cancels many evening events
- Strong storms knock down trees
- New technology helps CBS 6 better cover storms, breaking news
