Tornado touches down in NK

A storm labeled as a minimal tornado caused upwards of $300,000 damage in a small section of western New Kent County on Sunday afternoon.

The twister, with its estimated 40-72 mile per hour winds, touched down for only a few seconds on a farm owned by Marvin Sr. and Annie Peace on Quaker Road. But those few seconds were enough to destroy a shed housing farm equipment and a structure described as a lean-to, damage part of a nearby barn, topple several trees, and rip the roof off the Peace’s house. The Peaces were inside at the time.

“It happened just like that, and then it was gone,” Annie Peace said. “We didn’t know what was happening until that two-by-six came crashing through the window.”

The board, part of the equipment shed that was torn apart by the storm, shattered an upstairs window in the two-story house. The remainder of the shed debris was scattered over the front yard and across Quaker Road into a wooded area where sections of the metal roof were suspended in the trees.

Wind tore the metal roof off the house and deposited the crumpled remains in a nearby pond. Fortunately, the Peaces were unharmed.

“We think the storm struck at 20 minutes to four,” the couple’s daughter, Patricia Toler, said. “That’s when the electricity went off and the clock stopped.”

Toler said her brother, Marvin Jr., who lives next door to their parents, was standing outside and watched as the wind carried off the equipment shed.

“He just saw it lifted up and the wind brought it over and spread it all over the place,” she said.

The equipment shed had been standing in a low bottom area between the two houses.

“Now it’s a little bit of everywhere along with the house roof and the lean-to,” Toler said.

Heavy equipment stored in the shed, including a tractor, escaped damage and was not moved by the wind. Only a tarp that covered one piece was missing, Toler said.

The Peace house now has layers of plastic sheeting nailed on to replace the roof. Toler said her parents are extremely upset over the ordeal.

“My dad was born in this house, and they’ve had it remodeled over the years,” she said.

New Kent Fire Chief Tommy Hicks, who provided the damage estimate in dollars on Monday, said there were other reports of trees down and limbs striking vehicles elsewhere in the county. The tornado, he said, continued on a four-mile path into neighboring Hanover County.

“I think when it’s all said and done, there will be $250,000 to $300,000 in damage in the county,” he said.

As a result of the storm, Hicks said, one minor injury was reported and treated at the scene.