Cleanup continues after damaging wind storm in Montgomery County

LOWER SALFORD TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- The National Weather Service has officially categorized what happened in Upper Salford Township, Pa. on Wednesday night as not a tornado, but straight line winds.

During the storm, wind gusts reached 80-110 miles per hour.

It was enough to severely damage John Sailman's home.

He had to duck under a tarp which covers his roof.

"The wind just went underneath the porch and flipped it upside down," said Sailman.

The roof that once covered the living room now has two major holes in it. Sailman had to rip the carpet up himself, as rainwater came pouring in.

Now he, and many others, are left waiting for help and wondering what to do next.

"To try and get a hold of a contractor to come out is just like pulling teeth," said Sailman.

Crews are overwhelmed with work in Upper Salford Township. That includes PECO which still has 4,000 customer outages in the southeastern Pennsylvania coverage region.

Trees were no match for the straight line winds, neither were power lines.

"What's inhibiting us from getting all of the roads cleared is downed wires and the concern of electrical live circuits," said Kevin O'Donnell, the township supervisor.

About half of the residents have power. For those who do not, the township is offering ice, water and charging stations at the Upper Salford Township firehouse.