Greenwood community comes together for family of tornado victim killed in storm

ELLENDALE, Delaware (WPVI) -- The National Weather Service says a total of eight tornadoes touched down Saturday as severe weather moved through the tri-state area.

An EF-3 tornado ripped a path of destruction 14 miles long in Sussex County, Delaware -- from Bridgeville to Ellendale.

A home that was built in 1914 on Tuckers Road in Greenwood felt the brunt of the storm. It's also where 79-year-old Daniel Bawel died, according to family members.

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He was unable to escape when the tornado came blowing through. His wife of 55 years survived.

"They were both just in the house when the tornado hit and obviously the house collapsed around them," said the couple's pastor, John Davis Swartzentruber of Greenwood Mennonite Church. "It's kind of heartbreaking. This was a homestead. The man who died here grew up here and so it's a loss in a lot of ways for the family that was here."

According to the NWS, the tornado was on the ground for 20 minutes Saturday night and reached speeds of 140 miles per hour.

Overall, around 60 structures were destroyed in Sussex County.

But even in the aftermath of so much loss, there's an outpouring of kindness and generosity.

On Monday afternoon, Bawel's church community returned to his home to help salvage what they could for his widow and clean the fields so farming can continue.

"I put out a call to our church (and) said at 5 o'clock bring buckets and wheel barrels and we'll walk the fields and pick up trash," said Swartzentruber.

Bawel was the first tornado-related death in the state of Delaware in 40 years.