National Weather Service in Binghamton, New York, sent teams Thursday to two counties in northeast Pennsylvania to determine if tornadoes were part of a severe weather system that destroyed homes, caused severe damage to one of the region's major commercial corridors, smashed cars and left at least six people injured late Wednesday night.
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The team in Bradford County had not released a preliminary report saying how strong the tornado was that touched down in Franklin Township as of Thursday afternoon.
Photos and videos of the aftermath show a shopping center in Wilkes-Barre about 110 miles (177.02 kilometers) north of Philadelphia, with roofs torn off, cars overturned and storefronts shattered. Similar photos surfaced Thursday morning from Granville, Franklin and Leroy townships about 90 miles (144.83 kilometers) further north of Wilkes-Barre showing collapsed structures and shattered windows.
The investigators' report from Wilkes-Barre said the tornado damage was consistent with an EF2 strength tornado, meaning the average wind speed reached between 111 and 135 mph. The report said winds likely hit 130 mph as the tornado traveled about half a mile after first touching down near the Wyoming Valley Mall.
Investigators said, "structures were sheared off near their foundation" when describing the damage. Tornadoes are categorized from EF0, which are weaker with wind speeds between 65 and 85 mph, to EF5, which are considered violent with wind speeds of more than 200 mph.
In Wilkes-Barre, city and county officials had closed roads around the damaged shopping centers because of downed power lines and damage to a propane cylinder that was still leaking as of midmorning Thursday.
Chopper 6 over tornado damage in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
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Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency volunteer Garrett Hittle said crews were working to stabilize the propane cylinder by off gassing the contents.
"The scene is not safe enough to have people be able to go in and perform a complete assessment at this point," Hittle said. "It affected between a half-mile and mile radius of mostly business interests."
Hittle said there were reports of six storm-related injuries that were not life threatening and did not require anyone to be admitted to the hospital.
Joy Frie told The (Wilkes-Barre) Citizens' Voice that staff and patrons huddled in the kitchen of the bar where she bartends until they could escape to another business.
"The doors were busting open. Almost everyone's cars in the parking lot were destroyed," the 18-year-old said.
In Bradford County, damage was reported in three neighboring townships, but emergency personnel said there were no reports of injuries.
Jeff Scarboro, the director of public safety and emergency management for the county, said there were about 10 homes with varying reports of damage some of which appeared to be destroyed.
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"There were initial reports of entrapments with building collapses and debris, but local fire departments helped with removal from those properties," Scarboro said.
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Scarboro said some of the rescues included at least one person in a wheelchair who needed help because of debris and older couples who were trapped in storm cellars by debris.
RAW VIDEO: Drone flies over storm damage
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