Trio of Twisters Wreak Havoc on Virginia
The governor has called a state of emergency for the tornado-damaged areas.
April 29, 2008 — -- Thousands of Virginia residents are picking up pieces of their lives today after a trio of tornadoes tore through the state, ripping homes off foundations, leaving cars piled on top of each other and injuring 200.
A line of unusually strong "super cell" thunderstorms triggered the twisters, which hit Suffolk and Brunswick counties in the southeast corner of the state, as well as the city of Colonial Heights 25 miles south of Richmond.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has declared a state of emergency. Officials are out this morning looking for any additional victims of the destruction..
Most of the injuries were in Suffolk County, Bob Spieldenner of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management told The Associated Press.
One of the three twisters left an estimated 25-mile-long path of destruction and misery.
No deaths have been reported. A total of 35,000 customers in the affected area had no power at some point, according to Daisy Pridgen, of Dominion Power, who says just a few thousand remain without power.
Some residents who saw the tornadoes said they had an almost cinematic feel and look.
"As soon as we seen the car coming up in the air, we started heading to the back of the store. But it was the scariest thing I've ever seen," said resident Chris Karol.
"A tree branch hit my car. It lifted me a foot up off the ground and slammed me down into the middle of the median facing the other way," said William Morgan.
When William Sanders learned of the impending tornado, he grabbed his dog and headed to his bathroom for protective shelter.
"To feel the bathtub and the mobile home shake like a roller-coaster ride, it was unreal," he said.
A pick-up truck was tossed into the the side of a building and left wedged inside a huge gaping hole in the the concrete structure.
And the tornadoes also affected businesses.
Gregory Parker's brother's store, which was located in a century-old building, was flattened by a twister.
"[It's] all gone in a matter of [a] second," Parker said. "It's hard to take it all in. Right now we're just thankful that everybody's alive."
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