Pocono News Section

Severe Storms Cause Damage in Central PA

Severe Storms Cause Damage in Central PA - Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 11:00PM EST

Reported by: Mark Hiller
Sunday, Aug 9, 2009 @ 11:00pm EST
WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY- Thousands of PPL customers were without electricity late Sunday. They lost power when powerful storms swept through northeastern and central Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon. Eyewitness News found some of the worst damage in Lycoming County.

It's an all too familiar scene Sunday evening in Williamsport - work crews sawing fallen trees into pieces after a most unusual storm. It came in fast and with plenty of rain, wind and a very big lightning strike.

Scott Andrew-McMahon said, "I'd say the wind was probably going about 80 miles an hour. After the wind went by, that's when I saw the lightning strike hit the tree."

The tree ended up resting on this power pole in the 500-block of Center Street. That downed power lines and sparked a fire in a neighbor's yard.

Smoke was still coming up from the scorch mark an hour and a half after the strike. Neighbors take pictures to capture the aftermath of this storm for posterity.

A front end loader lifts and pushes debris out of the way trying to clear the road. Center city Williamsport took the brunt of the storm.

A couple blocks away on Lycoming Street, two big trees are toppled on the property of Wanda Holmes. She was enjoying a family barbeque when the storm forced them to run for cover. "And the next thing I knew there was a big tree on the front window and we couldn't get out the door," she said.

The family got some help to cut up and remove the tree. With so much damage in front of the house, she thought her entire property was in jeopardy. "We thought everything in the back was going to blow down but it didn't. There was a lot of limbs and bushes and stuff blowing around," added Holmes.

The storm knocked out power to traffic lights all over the city, including along Hepburn Street. It’s just one more sign of the devastating storm that people of Williamsport won't soon forget.

The storms first hit Tioga County just after 3:00 P. M. According to the National Weather Service part of Hills Creek State Park had to be evacuated after large trees came crashing down, blocking roads and damaging vehicles. Large trees also blocked Route 287 about 3 miles south of Wellsboro.

The storm then rolled into Lycoming County causing widespread damage. Hardest hit areas included Jersey Shore, Loyalsock, Williamsport, Mifflin Township and Waterville. There were also reports of large trees down around Lock Haven in Clinton County and in Milton, Northumberland County. Some trees were knocked in the Canton area of Bradford County as well.

The photos below were sent to Eyewitness News by Elisa Connelley of Williamsport: