Mother Nature Shows Her Strength
Tornadoes (龙卷风) and heavy thunderstorms moved across the Great Lakes and into Trumbull County on Saturday evening. The storms were dramatic and erous.
George Snyder was driving the fire truck down Route 88 when he first noticed that a funnel (斗状的) cloud was behind him. "I stopped the truck and watched the funnel cloud. It was about 100 feet off the ground and I saw it go up and down for a while. It was moving toward Bradley Road and then suddenly it disappeared," Snyder said.
Snyder only saw one of the funnel clouds that passed through northeastern Ohio on Saturday. In Trumbull County, a tornado turned trees onto their sides. Some trees fell onto houses and cars. Other trees fell into telephone and electrical wires as they went down.
Amanda Symcheck was having a party when the storm began. "I knew something was wrong," she said. "I saw the sky go green and pink (粉色的). Then it sounded like a train rushing toward the house. I started crying and told everyone to go to the basement for protection. "
The tornado caused a lot of damage to cars and houses in the area. It will take a long time and much money to repair everything. There was also serious water damage from the thunderstorms. The heavy rains and high wind caused the power to go out in many homes.
The storms caused serious flooding in areas near the river. More than four inches of rain fell in parts of Trumbull County. The river was so high that the water ran into streets and houses. Many streets had to be closed to cars and trucks because of the high water. This made it difficult for fire trucks, police cars and other rescue vehicles to help people who were in trouble.
Many people who live near the river had to leave their homes for their own safety. Some people reported five feet of water in their homes. Local and state officials opened emergency shelters for the people who were evacuated (撤走). The Red Cross served meals to them.
"This was a really intense storm," said Snyder. "People were afraid. Mother Nature can be fierce. We were lucky this time. No one was killed. \
Mother Nature Shows Her StrengthRescue vehicles had a hard time getting to people.