Three tornadoes strike Virginia, injuring dozens
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By PETER BACQUE, JUAN ANTONIO LIZAMA AND BILL MCKELWAY
Media General News Service
Published: April 29, 2008
STORM STORIES
Storms not worst state has seen
Aerial tour of Colonial Heights damage
CONTINUED COVERAGE
GOVERNMENT LINKS
A terrifying flock of tornadoes hit Virginia yesterday, striking close to where a twister killed four people in the Tri-Cities area 14½ years ago.
The severe thunderstorms sweeping the state yesterday spun tornadoes in Colonial Heights, Brunswick County and Suffolk’s Driver community—a more than 100-mile arc across the southern part of the state. About 200 were injured in Suffolk.
More than 20 people in Colonial Heights were injured when the storm hit about 3:40 p.m., and one department store and other businesses near Southpark Mall sustained severe structural damage. Colonial Heights Fire Chief A.G. Moore estimated damage at $2 million.
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine last night declared a state of emergency across the state in response to widespread damage from yesterday afternoon’s severe weather.
In Colonial Heights, Kimra Vaughan thought it was only heavy rain making her miserable as she stepped from her car—though it is times like yesterday—when cold fronts sweep through warm, wet air --that breed the funnel storms.
Then, a “terrible roar” and a funnel-shaped cloud swept over her, pelting the car with metal, shards of glass and force.
“I jumped back in the car as soon as I realized what was happening. And when it all started hitting around me is when I started crying,” said Vaughan, a nurse with Crater Community Hospice on Roslyn Road.
Vaughan watched the funnel move due east, directly across Interstate 95, ripping apart a green highway sign after wrapping a basketball-court-sized piece of metal roofing around a large signpost advertising Southpark Carpet & Flooring Home Outlet.
“It picked up a tractor-trailer on the interstate and dropped it down again,” Vaughan said.
She watched the funnel pass over the Rainbow Christian Book & Gift across the interstate, headed for Southpark Mall.
The track of the funnel was about 400 feet from the path of the fatal twister that severely damaged a Wal-Mart in the summer of 1993.
“All I heard was a whistle, like a train coming. It was the whistle and then the train,” said Chanelle Bradley, 18, a saleswoman at Payless Shoes near Target.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I saw glass all over, cars on top of other cars. People crying. I saw people injured.”
Other witnesses said the tornado came over the Kmart near the mall and past the Target store before hitting the Dominion Southpark dealership, where it damaged 50 cars and knocked down three light poles. It lifted a gazebo, carried it 50 yards and slammed it into a car.
“One of our sales managers was standing in the front of the store,” said Tony Pantoni, a sales manager at Dominion Southpark.
“She said: ‘Get away. There’s a tornado out there.’
“She screamed: ‘Get away from the window. I just dropped down and started crawling underneath my desk,” Pantoni said. “We all ran to the bathroom. Everybody was pretty scared.”
John V. Mazza Jr. was in his second-floor office at Medallion Swim Pool Co. Inc. at 840 W. Roslyn Road in Colonial Heights when the tornado struck yesterday.
“I was literally 50 feet from a tornado when it went by me,” he said. “We had some air conditioners that just disappeared up in the air.
“Of course, I was diving for cover,” said Mazza, the company’s president.
But the vortex didn’t even break his office window, he said.
“I need to go to Vegas tonight and put it all on black.”
Two hours after the tornado, hospice nurse Vaughan was still shaking.
“God was with all of us,” said Brenda Mitchell, the hospice’s chief executive officer. None of about 10 people in the office was injured.
“I never want to look eye to eye at a tornado the rest of my life,” said Vicky Parks, a co-owner with her brother of Medallion Pool.
She said it was so close that it had no real form.
“It was like glass breaking and whistling,” said Stacy Hammack, an optician at America’s Best near the mall.
“By the time you reacted, it was done,” said colleague Mallory Creech.
The heaviest damage came at Dominion Southpark and the pool company. The storm caused significant damage to the Target store’s main doors, blew a couple of heating and air-conditioning units off the rooftop and punched the bull’s-eye logo from its street sign. The company did not have an estimate of the damage to the Colonial Heights store.
The twister flipped over cars and downed trees around Southpark and down Temple Avenue, as far as Puddledock Road. Winds scattered debris onto I-95, while state transportation officials reported major backups along the highway.
Most of the 1,000 Tri-Cities customers who lost power got it back by late last night, Dominion Virginia Power reported. Crews from Petersburg, Chesterfield County, Henrico County and the Virginia State Police assisted Colonial Heights fire and police with the emergency.
Other businesses near the mall suffered shattered windows, but Southpark Mall itself was not damaged.
“I didn’t realize how severe it was until I was sitting in the line at Taco Bell,” said Kimberly Hicks, who works in the mall. “I was sitting at Taco Bell and kind of fearing for my life.”
As dark approached last night, the shopping complex that houses the pool company and the hospice as well as a carpet outlet was scattered with debris. Tow trucks started moving heavily damaged cars about 6 p.m., and contractors were cleared to begin boarding up windows at about 8:30 p.m.
“It was a matter of seconds,” Mazza said. “It seemed like an eternity, but I bet you it wasn’t 10 seconds, 15 seconds.”
Contact Peter Bacqué at (804) 649-6813 or .
Contact Juan Antonio Lizama at (804) 649-6513 or .
Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or .
Staff writers Luz Lazo, Greg Gilligan, Calvin R. Trice and David Ress contributed to this report.
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