The Norfolk Naval Station received “a lot of minor damage,” said Beth Baker, the public affairs officer for the Navy Midatlantic Region.

Upwards of 50 private vehicles on the base suffered broken windows, she said. The roofs of several buildings were damaged and the storm reportedly overturned a tractor-trailer.

No one was injured on the base, Baker said. The Navy sent three ambulances from Hampton Roads’ installations to help Suffolk with its disaster response.

Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base and Oceana Naval Air Station were unharmed by the severe weather, she said. -- Peter Bacque

In Driver, a small community north of downtown Suffolk, 16-year-old Antonio Respass said he was driving his mother home through Driver when he saw a funnel cloud at 4:15 p.m. Within seconds, the wind became so powerful it began pushing his car sideways off the road. He said he pulled over to the side of the road, “and then the sky got completely black, and all kinds of stuff began flying around.”
He and his mother ducked down below the windshield before a tree limb smashed one of the car windows. He said he looked up to see the two signs of an antiques store simply blow away. Then he said the funnel itself touched one of the two convenience stores in Driver “and it (the convenience store) just disappeared. It was like an explosion with no fire.”
He said the storm took two to three minutes to pass through Driver and left him and his mother surrounded by live power lines. -- Bill Geroux

The American Red Cross Southside Area Chapter is opening up a service center at the Burnswick County Airport in Lawrenceville.

At least five homes have been damaged in Brunswick, the Red Cross reports.

Anyone who needs help can go to the service center or call 804-733-5711.

Volunteers will help people with food, shelter and clothing, Bill Harrison, a Red Cross spokesman said. -- Luz Lazo

Kimra Vaughan cursed the rain stepping from her car.
Then a “terrible roar” and a funnel-shaped cloud swept over her, pelting the car with metal, shards of glass and force.
“I jumped back in the car as soon as I realized what was happening. And when it all started hitting around me is when I started crying,” said Vaughan, a nurse with Crater Community Hospice. Two hours after the tornado, she was still shaking.
“God was with all of us,” said Brenda Mitchell, the hospice’s chief executive officer. None of about 10 people caught in the office was injured.
Vaughan watched the funnel move due east, directly across Interstate 95 and ripping apart a green highway sign after wrapping a basketball-court sized piece of metal roofing around a large signpost advertising The Home Outlet. “It picked up a tractor-trailer on the interstate and dropped it down again and cars were spinning apart trying to get out of the way,” Vaughan said.
She watched the funnel pass over the Rainbow Christian Bookstore across the interstate, headed for Southpark mall.
“I never want to look eye to eye at a tornado the rest of my life,” said Vicky Parks, a co-owner with her brother of the Medallion Pool and Spa Outlet. She said she watched the funnel pass within 50 feet of her second-story office window, so close that it had no real form.  —Bill McKelway

Southside Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Terry Tysinger said seven people were brought to the Petersburg hospital: five from Colonial Heights and two from Sussex County. All are in stable condition with no life-threatening injuries and are expected the be released before the night is out. Injuries include lacerations and possible fractures. -- Calvin Trice

Governor Timothy M. Kaine has declared a state of emergency in the Commonwealth of Virginia, directing state agencies to take all necessary actions to aid in the response to widespread damage from this afternoon’s severe weather.

A declaration of emergency allows the Governor to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment and other emergency response resources, and to coordinate state and local response to the event.

Strong winds and possible tornadoes caused damage in multiple localities. The cities of Colonial Heights and Suffolk were two areas that were severely affected.

Agencies assisting include the Virginia departments of Emergency Management, Marine Resources and Transportation and the Virginia State Police. Other agencies are on standby if needed.

The Driver Variety Store in Suffolk, a landmark along King’s Highway, was leveled, and numerous businesses nearby were heavily damaged.

“The town of Driver is a disaster area,” a Suffolk police officer said. “We have numerous, numerous structures damaged.”