NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, Va. -- Surveyors from the National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Northumberland County near Callao Wednesday evening.
Heather Wise said her dad's home on Azalea Lane — where officials said the worst damage took place — likely took a direct hit.
If riding out a tornado is not frightening enough, Wise's 12-week-old daughter was also inside the home — panic set in as the tornado approached the house and she got into the bathtub with her baby.
“My dad said, ‘Here comes the wind!’ That’s when it was just one big swoosh all at one time. Right when he said that, I just put her in the car seat as fast as I could, took a pillow, and leaned it over the car seat with myself over top of that," Wise said
The home, which Wise's dad and stepmom were renting, was torn basically in half from the roof down to the foundation. Siding, wood frame, insulation, and the family belongings were strewn all over the wood line behind the home, mixed among mangled and snapped trees.
"It felt like it happened all at one time and so slow. For me, you see all the damage, but it’s like you really didn’t hear any of it. It was just like wwwssshhhh And then it was over. Just like that," Wise said. “It’s an indescribable feeling, and it’s so many emotions at one time."
The tornado touched down near the Richmond-Northumberland county line and was on the ground for six minutes before lifting near the town of Lottsburg.
Most of the damage of the observed EF-1 was done near Azalea Lane and Owls Town Road, surveyors said.
Northumberland County Sheriff Johnny Beauchamp said there was one minor injury reported but the person declined medical treatment. Beauchamp estimated a half dozen or so homes sustained damage.
"Heard radio traffic from the first responders that live in the area. They radioed in, ‘there’s rotation or a tornado, something just came through," he said, adding that like the EF-2 tornado that hit the county in 2021, the community responded quickly to help.
"First responders both times — this time and the one three years ago — were the first ones to call it in. They’re out here seeing it, they’re out here ready to respond. Most of them are volunteers and ready to go," Beauchamp said.
Wise's stepmom was the one reported injury. She uses a wheelchair get around and was briefly trapped by the debris from the roof collapse, Wise said.
"I think she was trying to get into that bathroom that’s off the bedroom. But when that pushed in, I’m pretty sure that’s what pushed her out of her chair forward into the bathroom then of course that’s when the roof came down on her.”
Since the property is a rental, Wise said they are not sure where her father and stepmom will go given the sparse housing options in the area that allow for her stepmom to move around easily.
Wise set up a crowdfunding page to help with the costs associated with their clean-up and move.
“You don’t even know what’s gone at this point. There’s tons of pictures in the attic that could still be there or two towns over," Wise said. "It’s really hard to look at but you’re also so thankful it’s just the [house].”
You can read the full survey of the damage here.
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