Twister Leaves 'War Zone' In Stafford County

WASHINGTON - Limestone Way in Stafford County resembles a war zone -- and it is clear the tornado won the battle.

The newly built subdivision just north of Fredericksburg took a beating late Thursday as as powerful storms blew through, ripping into 160 homes. The National Weather Service confirmed Friday that an F2 tornado ripped through Stafford County, Va., one mile north of Berea, Thursday night. The damage path was 4 miles long and 150 yards wide. An F2 tornado means winds reached speeds between 111 mph and 135 mph.

Late Friday, 25 houses were still uninhabitable and dozens remained without power. Two people were injured, county spokeswoman Cathy Riddle said. One was taken to a local hospital and released.

The same storm system produced another tornado that hit Camp Springs, Md., about 1 a.m. Friday, News4 Chief Meteorologist Bob Ryan said. That twister was categorized as an F0 packing winds of about 80 mph.

The Virginia tornado hit some streets within the England Run North subdivision extremely hard, shearing off second stories of homes and leaving only interior walls standing, Riddle said. On other streets, sides of garages were blown off and wooden planks pierced through the roofs of some houses.

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On Friday, residents returned to survey the damage and gather what they could from their damaged homes.

The twister's brute strength was powerful enough to peel back rooftops, but random enough to leave clothes hanging in a closet.

Forecasters said that at its peak, the tornado delivered pounding rain, hammering hail and wind speeds close to 120 miles per hour. At least 60 people are displaced and destruction is tallied at more than $10 million.

It will take months to rebuild what the storm stole away in seconds.

Residents Describe 'Freight Train' Sound, Wind

At about 11 p.m. Thursday, residents said they heard something that sounded like a freight train, and houses began pulling apart. Some said they saw a funnel cloud skipping across the neighborhood.

"Mainly, it was just like a freight train coming," said resident Richard Marshall. "You could feel the compression in the house. We just rushed down into the basement. Before we rushed down, we looked outside, and you could see the twister, the way it jumped."

"When I was looking out the window, I saw this house here. I saw the roof of the house start to lift, and I could hear stuff banging into my house," said Dave Skaja, whose home was damaged. "Of course, then we got out of the window. It just sounded like rocks, like people were just throwing stuff at the house."

Related: Rising Creek Levels Cause Flooding In Virginia | Watch The Report Bob Ryan's Forecast Slideshows: Md. Storm Damage, Flooding Part 1 | Part 2 Virginia Storm Damage Part 1 | Part 2

Janet Sullivan's neighbor called and told her to get into the basement. She said she got downstairs with just moments to spare.

"We have a 6-month-old whose room had more damage. Glass had flown in his crib," Sullivan said. "If we didn't run out, I just can't imagine what would have happened to him."

The storm ripped apart Kenny Wine's kennel, where he housed more than a dozen of his hunting dogs. None of the dogs were hurt when the roof was ripped off and debris rained down on the animals. One dog was stuck in the debris and had to be rescued, and another dog ran away but was located.

Officials went door-to-door in some neighborhoods to make sure the houses were structurally sound, McGrath reported. Some of the homes were severely damaged and declared uninhabitable, while others only had minor damages, McGrath said.

Gayle Middle School was opened as an emergency shelter. About 100 people spent the night there, Riddle said. The Red Cross, Salvation Army and local businesses are chipping in to help, and residents in the England Run community said they realize neighbors will have to help each other, as well.

Stafford County Fire said lightning may have also caused a fire in the 600 block of Joshua Road.

Weather service officials confirmed that a tornado touched down Thursday night in Franklin and Henry counties in western Virginia. The EF1 twister, with winds of 86 to 95 mph, downed trees and damaged homes in a mile-long path, officials said.

There were also unconfirmed reports of a tornado in the Triangle area in Prince William County.

High Water Stalls Cars, Closes Roads

News4's Tracee Wilkins reported that severe flooding caused traffic trouble Friday morning in Hyattsville, Md.

On U.S. Route 50 at Columbia Park Road just east of Route 201 in Cheverly, high water caused several vehicles to stall and caused some minor fender-benders, Wilkins said.

Due to high and rising water, the Prince George's County Department of Public Works and Transportation Friday evening closed Governors Bridge Road in Bowie, Old Fort Road in Fort Washington, Marlboro Race Track Road between Maryland Route 725 and the ShowPlace Arena/Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, and Water Street between Maryland Route 725 (Main Street) and Maryland Route 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) in Upper Marlboro. The roadways will be reopened when the threat of flooding subsides.

Some drivers were caught off guard by standing water.

"I came through thinking it was just a small puddle, and I got stuck," said Toni Jones. "My car started to move side to side, and I was wading in water up to my hips. Now I'm going to dry out and wait for AAA to come."

Prince George's County firefighters from Cheverly Station helped get at least nine drivers out of the water.

"Since about midnight, we've run 19 calls in this area related to stranded motorists, people stuck in the water or other related incidents," said Dennis Wood.

Route 50 was shut down between Kennilworth Avenue and Columbia Park Road in both directions until water receded at about 7 a.m.

U.S. Route 202 East and West at Pinebrook Avenue in Landover was also closed due to flash flooding.

On Interstate 95 near Lorton, a tractor trailer jackknifed at about 12:30 a.m. Friday due to standing water.

The truck began leaking fuel and hazmat crews were called to the scene. Traffic was severely impacted with vehicles getting by the scene on the right shoulder and right lane of the highway. The roadway was cleared at about 5 a.m.

Police closed off the area around Prince and King streets in Old Town due to flooding just before 1 a.m.

Several roads were closed at about 1 a.m. in the Arcola area due to high water, including Braddock Road, Route 50, Route 606 and Gum Spring Road. A partial road collapse was reported on Braddock Road.

Stormwater flooded the basement room in which Quanita Brody and her 6-month-old daughter sleep. Many of their belongings, including baby clothes and toys, were ruined. The power was knocked out when lines fell on the house, but Brody and her daughter were not hurt.

The storm downed several trees throughout the area.

A tree fell on a house in the 18000 block of Black Briar Court in Fort Washington.

In the District, a downed tree blocked traffic at 16th Street and Geranium Road near Walter Reed Medical Center. At about 1 p.m., fire and rescue units were called to Garfield Street and University Terrace Northwest, where a large tree was found leaning on power and phone lines. Pepco and a tree crew were brought in to assess damage.

In Camp Springs, many homes and vehicles were damaged by fallen trees. On Chandler Drive a large tree was cut up after it fell in the backyard of a home and a branch slammed into the window of a car owned by a man serving in Iraq.

Trees and flying debris damaged many houses in the area. Some homeowners are repairing their roofs. Others had the siding ripped off their homes.

MARC reported several service changes as a result of weather conditions. Because of flooding on the tracks, Penn Line service terminated at New Carrollton. Metro transit honored MARC tickets. Meanwhile, Camden and Brunswick trains are operating at reduced speed due to flash flood warnings.

Storms Cause Some Flooding In Fairfax County

In Fairfax County, Va., the heavy rain caused creek levels to rise, causing trouble for homeowners and drivers, and while some residents said that the flooding wasn't as bad as they had anticipated, they're still not looking forward to the weekend.

Flooding was still causing problems Friday evening. Near Mount Vernon, Old Mill Road between Patton Boulevard and Dogue Drive was closed because Dogue Creek spilled over its banks.

A few other roads in the area also were closed, and the weather was blamed for a few car crashes, News4's Keith Garvin reported.

Fairfax County resident Jennifer Grelson said she thought driving conditions were dangerous and scary.

The flooding was hit or miss, Garvin reported. Some areas known for flooding did not flood at all.

With more rain in the forecast through the weekend, residents said they are concerned about continued flooding.

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