Pocono News Section

Storms Cause Lots of Damage

Storms Cause Lots of Damage - Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 11:45PM EST

Reported by: Dave Skutnik
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2008 @ 11:45pm EST
It was a stormy night in Northeast PA as severe thunderstorms moved through the area. Winds were clocked at over 50mph in several areas.

The hardest hit area seems to be Hunlock Creek in Luzerne County where the entire community is without power. Most roads were blocked by downed trees and power lines. Volunteer firefighters used chainsaws to try to get those roads back open. A barn also burnt down during the storms. A number of houses and businesses have trees down on their roofs. According to firefighters several people were injured by falling trees and power lines. People there say it's the worst they've ever seen and it could be days before the lights are back on.

In Shavertown an 80-year-old pine tree came crashing down on a car. That tree also took out live wires that landed on the car of Mark and Christian Szot as they sat in their driveway just off Route 309. They were trapped in the car for nearly 30 minutes before being rescued by the Shavertown Fire Department.

In Mayfield, Lackawanna County trees and power lines were down along Poplar Street. The porch of Big Chief's Market also collapsed. One woman there called the storm very scary.