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Severe storm leaves widespread mess across Harrisburg

Residents in several neighborhoods say high winds and hail pummeled the community Saturday night

HARRISBURG, Pa. — People driving through the intersection of 16th and Berryhill Streets in Harrisburg did so slowly on Sunday, staring at the damage left in the wake of storms from the night before.

"Two trees fell over here. One tree fell over there, knocking down branches on this side," Harrisburg resident Jawaharlal Henry said while sitting on a fallen trunk. "[It] smashed two cars over there, and basically everyone's been cleaning up ever since."

Henry and members of the Allison Hill neighborhood worked together to clean up the mess that blocked both roads before help from the city came to finish the job.

"We had to cut a path so traffic could get through," Henry said.

A severe storm was a shock for his young niece.

"I was scared," Henry's niece stated. "I was crying."

Hail and high winds startled Henry early in the night, alongside damaging his third-floor windows.

"You could hear it hitting throughout the whole house, Boom-boom-boom-boom," Henry said. "Big hail stones."

The Allison Hill neighborhood was far from the only part of the city to take a hit. Trees were down all across Harrisburg, including on top of David Howard's car in midtown.

"My neighbor kind of woke me up, Howard said. "He said 'Dude, your car is under a tree...a tree fell on your car.'"

Crews removed limbs around the powerline located above Howard's car however, the windshield ultimately gave in to the weight of the limbs.

"I initially thought he was joking," Howard expressed. "[But,] when I came outside he had a serious look on his face and he pointed."

Just up the road, the vestibule at Midtown Scholar Bookstore had been blown out and boarded up. The store manager says they opened with normal hours, thanks to the help of volunteers.

Now right by the Capitol building, a billboard now lies as a bunch of metal.

Harrisburg officials say there was one known injury and no fatalities, which is a welcomed relief for residents.

"I'm just glad nobody was hurt in this," Howard said.

"Now I'm going to take my niece for ice cream," Henry said. "She worked very hard today."

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