Tornado recovery effort continues in Hampton

HAMPTON ??

Two days after a tornado slammed into downtown Hampton, the cleanup efforts continued. Neighbors assisted each other in clearing debris and began tallying damage to their homes. The EF1 tornado, which produced winds up to 98 miles per hour Friday evening, caused more than $4.3 million in property damage according to Hampton.

Robin McCormick, a spokeswoman for the city, said contractors and city crews spent much of the day helping with the cleanup effort near Merrimac Shores, which was pummeled by the twister. "It's been extremely busy. Verizon and Cox have been coming in," McCormick said. "The streets are passable, but are generally down to one lane because of the trucks and debris."

McCormick said the Blackbeard Festival in downtown was able to continue as planned. Many of the festivals vendors had tents and tables overturned when the tornado struck Friday night. McCormick said the city will assess on Monday what needs to be done to clear remaining debris from the streets. Power had been restored to most residents.

More than 5,700 Dominion Virginia Power customers lost electricity when the storm hit. City officials said 206 homes were damaged by the storm as well as three businesses.

"We're slowly but surely cleaning the stuff up," said Jim Puffenberger, who lives in the Boxwood Point neighborhood. Puffenberger said on Sunday he spent much of the day clearing branches and limbs that had fallen into the creek near his home.

Neighbors spent much of the weekend swapping stories of where they were when the tornado struck. Hampton police said no one was hurt or seriously injured by the storm. "It was by the grace of God," said Holly Morando, who rode out the tornado underneath a table along with her two daughters, Violet and Sofia, at their Merrimac Shores home. Her husband, Paul, was nearby at the grocery store when the storm hit.

"I was in the checkout line and then everyone had to go to the back of the store. People were scared," Paul Morando said. The Morandos' home didn't sustain major damage, but their yard was covered in tree branches and limbs. Many of their neighbors had trees on their cars or homes.

Art Butler, 61, who lives off Worden Avenue, said police had responded to his home Friday night out of concern he may have been trapped. He was down the street at a friend's home. Several trees fell in his yard but missed his boat and his house. Butler also said he was grateful no one was hurt.

"I'm just happy this is all it is and it's over," Butler said.

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