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Two powerful tornadoes have wrought a path of destruction though parts of eastern Pennsylvania, leaving at least five people injured as authorities in one hard-hit county declared a “mass casualty” event.
The pair of twisters touched down in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County on Thursday, virtually destroying a car dealership and a mobile home park, local media reported. Five people were injured during the storm, Bensalem Police Public Safety Director Fred Harran said, though none were seriously harmed.
Dramatic photos and videos of the inclement weather circulated online, some captured by local news outlets, while other images showed the path of devastation left in the tornadoes’ wake. Some 8,000 homes and businesses were left without power after the storm, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
PATH OF DESTRUCTION: Chopper 6 video shows the path of destruction in Bucks County, PA. The National Weather Service is working to survey the damage. https://t.co/ev4qZXZ6AE pic.twitter.com/XZ1PCGDBMY
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) July 30, 2021
At least one tornado touched down in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on Thursday evening. One car dealership caught in the tornado's path was heavily damaged, according to CBS Philadelphia, and a “mass casualty incident” has been declared, according to Bensalem Police Department. pic.twitter.com/cv7jewNssB
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 30, 2021
Tonight on Action News: Tremendous storm blew thru sections of Bucks county. Live team coverage tonight on Action News. @6abc pic.twitter.com/CdgmpmSpl8
— Dann Cuellar (@DannCuellar) July 30, 2021
Bill Rollin, the director for emergency alerts for Bucks and two neighboring countries, told a local CBS affiliate that officials had declared a “mass casualty event,” though noted the term refers to any incident in which three or more people are injured.
SkyForce10 is LIVE over widespread storm damage in Bucks County after a tornado ripped through the region: https://t.co/fYU2gSvQub pic.twitter.com/OoUOpIakek
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) July 30, 2021
More photos of the storm damage in Saltlick Twp., Fayette Co., PA. Photo credits to @joshbrinker25 at FayWest Fire and News Photography. #pawx #tornado #stormdamage @ReedTimmerAccu @WeatherMatrix @NWSPittsburgh @RayPetelinWx pic.twitter.com/bWAQzP2sIC
— Connie Brinker (@bink398) July 29, 2021
Widespread flooding jn #PAwx multiple roads flooded @NWS_MountHolly River Rd Plumtead #Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/1HGvLZCRSM
— Naz (@nazlizeynepn) July 29, 2021
One witness who was inside the auto dealership when the tornado struck, Joanne Szupka, described the harrowing incident, saying it came on abruptly and “the whole thing lasted like 90 seconds.”
“I heard the alarm on my phone and it was seconds later that we felt something happening to the building,” Szupka told the Bucks County Courier Times, adding that she took shelter under a desk and was later pulled from the building.
Another local resident also captured footage of the dealership, the roof of which had partially collapsed.
Just had a tornado come through Bensalem. #tornado #besalem pic.twitter.com/CAnXEei61a
— money_heff (@HeffMoney) July 29, 2021
ABC meteorologist Drew Tuma described the twisters as “rare,” “violent,” and “incredibly dangerous,” noting that that severe weather system was headed for New Jersey in the early evening. Bucks County is located near the Pennsylvania-New Jersey state border.
As of around 9pm local time, the National Weather Service’s Pennsylvania branch noted that severe weather advisories had been dropped for parts of the state and that previous tornado warnings for some areas had been downgraded.
The Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been dropped for portions of our region. See below for the current counties covered in the Watch. pic.twitter.com/QxXRULulBw
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) July 30, 2021
