Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
This is sad. I'm really surprised at how many people did not evacuate, but stayed in their rig. :E My goodness, have they never seen what a tornado can do to a trailer park? I know the hail was big but why, oh, why would they not high tail it to a sturdier building, like the all-cinder-block bath houses that are in most campgrounds? Better to be popped in the head with a clump of ice, than to be severely injured when a tornado picks up your aluminum camper and slams you to the ground.
It was 8:30 in the morning and only had a 8 minute warning so most people will just stay in their RV since Cherrystone is a large campground in area.
We were camping there on site 718. We didn't have time to get out.
Laying in bed, my phone beeped (odd, because it was on silent) I checked it and it said tornado warning. I looked out and saw the dark sky, rain but essentially no wind. I put on shorts and a shirt (30 seconds?) and peeked back out the window just in time to see the awning get ripped off and fly over the top of the RV. The door was facing the bay and was un-openable due to the 60-80 MPH wind hitting it. We threw all the dishes (knives, etc.) in the top drawer, got low in the camper and peeked out the windows. A few minutes in the 5er next to us flipped over. NOT GOOD! Ours was rocking like crazy! Water was pouring in the closed windows on the bay side. Only by the grace of God did ours not get flipped.
After the wind slowed, I tried to get out to check on our neighbors, but then the hail started, sounded like a machine gun on the side of the camper. Once that slowed, I was able to get out and climb up the bottom (now the side) of their 5er and get the door open. With the help of the guy on the other side of us who had a ladder we were able to get the family of 6 out, shook up but ok.
We were 6th in from the bay.
First camper was on it's side.
Second was on its side.
Third was on it's roof.
Fourth was in a condition that is unimaginable without seeing. It looked like a bomb went off inside it. The only things left were the empty floor (looked like a flatbed trailer) and a fairly intact slide out sitting nowhere near the rest. The remainder was un-distinguishable, and strewn across the street. Picture below. Those were the only people in the row that had moved the the bathhouse!
The fifth was on it's side, the 5er next to us.
Ours is in-tact, only ours and the one behind us. We pulled it home with an in-tact tow vehicle. Need an awning, a roof vent, and some other stuff that just blew away.
Feeling blessed beyond belief. Thanking God I can kiss my wife and kids goodnight this evening:)
Ours is the leftmost white upright Jayco.
This is the 5er next to us.
Other images we took before heading home.
Spent last night and today emptying the rv and basements, running the AC with fans and all the interior passages open to dry it out.
Found the right side and rear are heavily hail damaged, claim guy from insurance should be calling soon.
Laying in bed, my phone beeped (odd, because it was on silent) I checked it and it said tornado warning. I looked out and saw the dark sky, rain but essentially no wind. I put on shorts and a shirt (30 seconds?) and peeked back out the window just in time to see the awning get ripped off and fly over the top of the RV. The door was facing the bay and was un-openable due to the 60-80 MPH wind hitting it. We threw all the dishes (knives, etc.) in the top drawer, got low in the camper and peeked out the windows. A few minutes in the 5er next to us flipped over. NOT GOOD! Ours was rocking like crazy! Water was pouring in the closed windows on the bay side. Only by the grace of God did ours not get flipped.
After the wind slowed, I tried to get out to check on our neighbors, but then the hail started, sounded like a machine gun on the side of the camper. Once that slowed, I was able to get out and climb up the bottom (now the side) of their 5er and get the door open. With the help of the guy on the other side of us who had a ladder we were able to get the family of 6 out, shook up but ok.
We were 6th in from the bay.
First camper was on it's side.
Second was on its side.
Third was on it's roof.
Fourth was in a condition that is unimaginable without seeing. It looked like a bomb went off inside it. The only things left were the empty floor (looked like a flatbed trailer) and a fairly intact slide out sitting nowhere near the rest. The remainder was un-distinguishable, and strewn across the street. Picture below. Those were the only people in the row that had moved the the bathhouse!
The fifth was on it's side, the 5er next to us.
Ours is in-tact, only ours and the one behind us. We pulled it home with an in-tact tow vehicle. Need an awning, a roof vent, and some other stuff that just blew away.
Feeling blessed beyond belief. Thanking God I can kiss my wife and kids goodnight this evening:)
Ours is the leftmost white upright Jayco.
This is the 5er next to us.
Other images we took before heading home.
Spent last night and today emptying the rv and basements, running the AC with fans and all the interior passages open to dry it out.
Found the right side and rear are heavily hail damaged, claim guy from insurance should be calling soon.
