YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A strong summer storm hammered York County Monday afternoon.
JoAnn Badders and her husband had a front-row seat – watching from the porch of their Fawn Township home as the winds picked up.
"Like a freight train, it was a woosh," Badder said. "It’s a sound you’ll never forget. It scared me so bad."
They soon found their driveway covered with downed trees.
Branches shattered the windshield of one of their vehicles and one section of tree shaved off the back of their motorhome.
FOX43 found the couple hard at work clearing away debris, as electrical crews worked to repair lines damaged by fallen trees a few hundred yards away.
East Hopewell Township resident Catherine Sturla is among the thousands still without power.
Winds sheared off a power pole and knocked out a transformer next to her home on Hyson School Road in East Hopewell Township.
"They wanted to put me up in a hotel," Sturla said. "I went over there to the Hampton in Shrewsbury and they have no power or electricity either."
Her backyard is far worse.
Winds sent pine trees toppling over, one crashing into the side of her house.
"I can’t even imagine it being cleaned up," Sturla said. "I never saw anything like this."
York County Emergency Management is documenting the damage, hoping to apply for disaster relief.
"We communicate with the federal government and see if we can reach a certain threshold and possibly see if we can get a little aid here," said Ted Czech, York County Emergency Management public information officer.
Bill Anderson may need it the most.
The storm ripped the roof from his car shop, sending it flying.
"A portion of the roof was halfway out on Route 24 and the other portion of it was over in the neighbor’s field," he said.
The heavy rain that followed soaked some of his equipment, leaving puddles and soaked insulation strewn across the shop.
Anderson said the business is his livelihood.
"I’m not scared. I’m a little shocked because of the day's events and what have you, but we’ll rebuild," Anderson said.
The National Weather Service determined most of the damage was caused by 70- to 85-mile-per-hour straight-line winds, but it has not ruled out tornado activity in some areas.
Surveyors will return Wednesday.