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Funnel cloud rips Westmoreland County (Tornado damage in SW Pennsylvania)
Tribune Review (Pittsburgh area) ^ | 24 March 2011 (9:57 a.m.) | Trib Staff

Posted on 03/24/2011 8:13:59 AM PDT by Vigilanteman

Robin Aaron thought it was the end.

A ferocious storm ripped through Westmoreland County on Wednesday afternoon, leveling some houses and peeling roofs off others, tearing tops off trees and gouging the auditorium and athletic field at Hempfield Area Senior High School.

As chunks of hail rained down, a churning funnel cloud screamed through Sewickley Township, leveling six homes on General Braddock Road.

"I was outside taking my dogs in. I looked at the sky. It was getting real bad," Aaron said. "I grabbed my daughter and called to my son. ... We were all curled into a ball (in the family room). My whole home is gone.

"It took everything," Aaron said. "I'm surprised I'm not dead."

In Hempfield, Corey Ansell gathered his wife and sons to hunker down in a hallway on the lower level of their Fort Allen home as the storm roared through.

They heard the sound of breaking glass, then nothing.

When they walked back upstairs, the Ansells looked up, and all they could see was sky. The roof of their Mohawk Drive home was gone.

"Twenty seconds," Corey Ansell said. "You blinked, and it was gone."

(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: fema; homeowners; tornado; westmoreland
One of my co-workers was not allowed to return to his home last night, even though it was not damaged, but close to the impacted area.

He had identification to show he lived in the area.

Meanwhile, the roads were congested with rubberneckers and other people who had no business there.

What is it about authorities that they are unable to distinguish between these groups?

1 posted on 03/24/2011 8:14:03 AM PDT by Vigilanteman
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To: Vigilanteman

Probably too busy with other things to have to sort out who belongs and who doesn’t. Easier to just keep everyone away.

Those were some pictures. My power just blinked a couple of times, but didn’t get any of the nasty stuff they got.


2 posted on 03/24/2011 8:17:14 AM PDT by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it's the new black. Mmm mmm mmm...)
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To: Vigilanteman

My son had ping-pong ball size hail near Pittsburgh airport.


3 posted on 03/24/2011 8:55:19 AM PDT by Vinnie
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To: Vinnie

Wow! That will keep a lot of roofing contractors busy for awhile.


4 posted on 03/24/2011 8:59:28 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Vigilanteman

I am on the otherside of Rt 30. When the hail started, I looked out the front of our house and saw the huge black cloud form over the hillside where the Irwin WalMart is being built) (it looked like a movie special effect) the funnel part just started to form and drop, and it was moving east.

Our sky went green to black; and we lost power later (after the rain stopped—probably tree/debris related). Husband travels Arona Road (works near New Stanton) and he saw the unreal damage (big greenhouse flattened) roofs off and weird debris like clothing in trees (with tree tops sheered off).

We have dented siding; a cracked window (hail) and some lost shingles. We were all very lucky.

Hempfield High School (and Herrold Middle) both took heavy damage. I wonder what the District will do.


5 posted on 03/24/2011 9:02:23 AM PDT by PennsylvaniaMom (Newt Gingrich, he would rather sit on a couch with Nancy Pelosi, than stand with Sarah Palin.)
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To: PennsylvaniaMom
I'll have to show this to my sister. She and my brother-in-law had their first home on Turkey Farm Rd. Wow, that was 35 years ago!
6 posted on 03/24/2011 9:09:32 PM PDT by stayathomemom (Beware of kittens modifying your posts.)
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To: Vigilanteman

We had a funnel break up over our house in Murrysville. The sky turned that sickly green before becoming black. Both hail storms were amazing. The first literally rained ice. Have never seen anything like it. My wife got stuck out in on her way home. She was raised in the midwest and said she never saw anything like this hail storm. The roads literally had 2 inches of ice and water on them. My heart goes out to the people who lost their homes. That storm will be one to remember around here.


7 posted on 03/24/2011 9:33:19 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the occupation media. There are Wars and Rumors of War.)
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