Storm Watch

Damage at the Norfolk Naval Station

2008-04-28T23:37:00-05:00

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

Funnel cloud seen north of Suffolk

2008-04-28T23:00:00-05:00

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

Homes damaged in Brunswick

2008-04-28T22:48:00-05:00

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

Eyewitness account of funnel cloud

2008-04-28T22:45:00-05:00

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

Seven being treated in Petersburg

2008-04-28T22:44:00-05:00

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 declares state of emergency

2008-04-28T22:36:00-05:00

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.

Heavy damage in the town of Driver

2008-04-28T21:51:00-05:00

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.“

Red Cross setting up shelters

2008-04-28T21:49:00-05:00

The American Red Cross Southside Area Chapter is assisting residents who have been left without shelter or who have suffered in injuries in the City of Colonial Heights and Brunswick and Sussex Counties. At least three homes have been damaged by the storm in Brunswick County. Two of the homes are in a mobile home area known as the Friedman Community, 20 minutes west from Emporia, Bill Harrison, a Red Cross spokesperson said. Two people were also transported to a hospital in Sussex County after their home was damaged, he said. The Red Cross will feed more than 150 volunteers and emergency personnel tonight at the Southpark Mall.

Power outages in Tri-Cities and Gloucester

2008-04-28T21:45:00-05:00

Dominion Virginia Power is reporting about 1000 separate power outages in the Tri-Cities area this evening and more are expected as the storms continue to move across the region. Daisy Pridgen, a Dominion spokesperson, said crews were on the street trying to restore power, but severe weather is slowing the process. Dominion is also reporting about 15,000 customers without power in the Gloucester area. Most outrages there are also weather-related, Pridgen said.

Lightning

2008-04-28T21:39:00-05:00

Capt. Kevin Diggs of the Sussex Sheriff’s Office said the damage in Sussex was caused by a lightning strike, not wind. The lightning struck a house in the Cabin Point area of Sussex and 65-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman were sitting in the house watching TV. Lightning struck the house, the TV blew up and the woman said, “all the oxygen seemed to leave the room.“ The woman suffered facial cuts and injuries and was having trouble with her vision and the man suffered arm and hand injuries. They were taken to Southside Regional Medical Center.