Cleanup Continues After Major Damage from Tornado in Dover, Kent County

A home damaged by a tornado in Delaware.

DOVER, Del. --- Cleanup continues in the Dover area and other parts of Delaware after a tornado that traveled a record 29 miles, damaging homes, a school, and other buildings along the way.

The EF1 tornado that came in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias had a maximum wind speed of 105 mph and a maximum path width of 200 yards. It is attributed to significant damage in a number of communities in Kent County and New Castle County.

Freddie Douglas of Kent County lives off South State Street near the Pennwood community. The area saw a number of homes and churches damaged after many trees in the area were toppled.

Douglas' home ended up seeing minor damage on the roof, but his neighbors were not so lucky.

"It's really devastating you know to look at all this damage and how to treetops are gone. I have two neighbors that can't live in their homes because they were condemned the running habitable because large trees fell on them," he said.

Efforts to deal with damage in the City of Dover were also underway in neighborhoods like Sherwood and other communities that saw significant damage from the storm.

Rudy Brahbam's home along Westview Terrace was in ruin after trees fell in the area of his home. He said it was now a wait to see how the insurance company would handle the situation.

"Most likely they do the right thing and take care of me and my family and everything will be all right --- as long as everyone is safe," he said.

No injuries or deaths were attributed to the twister, but a Milford woman died during the storm when a tree branch fell on her.No injuries or deaths were attributed to the twister, but a Milford woman died during the storm when a tree branch fell on her.

Officials said the tornado touched down near an apartment complex on Sorghum Mill Road in Kent County, snapping trees and damaging homes and buildings as it moved north through Dover and Smyrna before pushing on to the Townsend-Middletown area in southern New Castle County. 

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

Recommended for you