WILKES-BARRE, Pa.— National Weather Service teams were traveling Thursday to two counties in northeast Pennsylvania to determine if tornados touched down as part of a severe weather system that destroyed homes, stores and cars and left at least six people injured.
The National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York, sent two teams to Bradford County and Luzerne County early Thursday to survey the damage from the storm system that passed through Wednesday night.
Photos and videos of the aftermath show a shopping center in Wilkes-Barre about 110 miles (177.02 kilometers) north of Philadelphia, with roofs torn off, cars over turned and storefronts shattered. Similar photos surfaced Thursday morning from Granville, Franklin and Leroy townships about 90 miles (144.83 kilometers) further north of Wilkes-Barre showing collapsed structures and shattered windows.
Meteorologist Joanne LaBounty from the National Weather Service’s Binghamton, New York, office said the two teams expected to be on the ground to survey the damage by late morning.
“The full report with the official designation of whether it was a tornado and what strength, the scale of damage and any injuries will be issued (Thursday) afternoon,” she said.
In Wilkes-Barre, city and county officials had closed roads around the damaged shopping centers because of downed power lines and damage to a propane cylinder that was still leaking as of midmorning Thursday.
Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency volunteer Garrett Hittle said crews were working to stabilize the propane cylinder by off gassing the contents.
“The scene is not safe enough to have people be able to go in and perform a complete assessment at this point,” Hittle said. “It affected between a half-mile and mile radius of mostly business interests.”
Hittle said there were reports of six storm-related injuries that were not life threatening and did not require anyone to be admitted to the hospital.
Joy Frie told The (Wilkes-Barre) Citizens’ Voice that staff and patrons huddled in the kitchen of the bar where she bartends until they could escape to another business.
“The doors were busting open. Almost everyone’s cars in the parking lot were destroyed,” the 18-year-old said.
In Bradford County, damage was reported in three neighboring townships, but emergency personnel said there were no reports of injuries.
Jeff Scarboro, the director of public safety and emergency management for the county, said there were about 10 homes with varying reports of damage some of which appeared to be destroyed.
“There were initial reports of entrapments with building collapses and debris, but local fire departments helped with removal from those properties,” Scarboro said.
Scarboro said some of the rescues included at least one person in a wheelchair who needed help because of debris and older couples who were trapped in storm cellars by debris.
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Associated Press reporter Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
