Pocono News Section

Tornado Demolishes Family Farm

Tornado Demolishes Family Farm - Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 5:45PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Thursday, Jul 30, 2009 @ 05:45pm EST
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY - Monroe County families are trying to pick up the pieces after a disaster in the Poconos. And they have a lot of pieces to pick up. A tornado screamed through a five mile stretch of the county Wednesday afternoon.

That storm smashed just about everything the Blakeslee family owns. Their home. Their barns. Their farm.

Sam Blakeslee worked on the farm for decades. He held back tears as he said, "You see about it on tv. You read aobut it and till you expereince it you don't know. It's impossible to understand what happens."

He saw Mother Nature's rage batter the crops, break the trees and bully the buildings. He said, "I spent my whole life here and there's just nothing left - and I don't know what - it's just unreal."

Allen Blakeslee was swimming when he saw the twister dive from the sky. He ran into the house. He said, "It sounds like a train was gonna hit - that's all it sounds like - the windows were breaking and everything."

Allen hid in the bathroom and looked out the window. He said, "My uncle was up in the barn when it happened and I saw it collapse on him."

Two men were in that barn. They were both taken to the hospital. The family says the injuries aren't life threatening but the damage the farm suffered could change their lives. Sam explained, "We'll never be able to get back to where we were. It's just too much."

For now the family is focused on clean up. Dozens of community members are helping. Sam thanked them and said they couldn't do it without help.

The tornado delivered raging winds of change to the farming family. Sam sighed, "It'll never be the same. Never."

The family is staying in a camper temporarily. Then they plan to move into a relative's home