Straight-line winds blamed for storm damage in Ewing Township, New Jersey
EWING TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- The National Weather Service said straight-line winds were to blame for storm damage in Ewing Township, New Jersey on Wednesday night.
Investigators say a thunderstorm produced wind gusts of 80 mph around 8:15 p.m.
"I was standing in my front door, and I opened my front door to let the wind in and all of a sudden it sounded like a freight train," said Bonnye Randolph.
She said picture frames were actually blown off her walls.
Up to 100 trees were damaged during the wind event, with some 10 to 20 large trees uprooted.
Three homes were damaged by fallen trees and one was destroyed, the NWS said on Thursday afternoon.
There were no injuries or fatalities associated with the storm.
Ewing Mayor Bert Steinmann advised residents to shelter in place, asking residents to not travel as "many areas are without power and the number of live wires and trees down are making many sections impassible and unsafe."
At one point, some 4,000 reported being without power.
Several area roads remain closed due to branches and limbs down.
In Lower Makefield Township, Bucks County, several large trees fell on wires. One fell on Jennifer DeZutter's house.
She says the massive tree is on top of her bed on Springtree Lane in Lower Makefield.
She says her whole family is safe, even her son's fish and tarantula, named Rosie.
And Jennifer knows what's ahead. She does emergency mitigation for a living, helping people after home damage. Her husband is an insurance adjuster.
"This is a part of our life," she said. "Now it's a part of our story personally."
Surveillance video from KS Pools and Patios on Big Oak Road in Langhorne shows the moment a truck was struck by lightning at 8:49 p.m.
Also in Langhorne, Crestview Center nursing home was without power because of the storm. Generators were brought in, but because of the heat, about 170 patients and residents are being moved to other facilities, according to a spokesperson.
