Strong storms leave behind wake of destruction in parts of South Jersey, Pennsylvania
Thousands without power, schools closed after Mantua Township storm
Mantua Township faces storm damage, with more than 2,000 without power as of Wednesday evening.
PHILADELPHIA - Strong storms ravaged parts of South Jersey on Tuesday night, with heavy rain and damaging winds that toppled trees onto homes and knocked out power lines.
Storm damage in Mantua
What they're saying:
Mantua Township in Gloucester County was one of the areas hardest hit by Tuesday night's storms.
Strong winds toppled trees onto homes and destroyed fences in one neighborhood that bore the brunt of the storm.
Storms topple trees, down powerlines in South Jersey
Strong storms ravaged parts of South Jersey on Tuesday night, with heavy rain and damaging winds that toppled trees onto homes and knocked out power lines.
As of Wednesday evening, more than 2,000 people were still without power. Mantua Township officials say they have been given an estimated time of restoration of 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday night, but said some areas may take longer.
The township says their Public Works, OEM, Police, Fire and Emergency Response Teams are still working to assess the damages, address hazards, and restore affected areas as quickly and safely as possible.
A homeowner who spoke to FOX 29 News said the wind and rain sounded "like a train coming through."
"It's kind of devastating to look at in the daylight, we looked at it last night, we just couldn't see the level of damage there is," he said.
Steve Clark says he was watching television in his living room while his wife was asleep in their bedroom, when a tree fell on their bedroom, splitting the home.
"I started screaming to her and she’s screaming to me and she said she wasn’t trapped I was like alright," he says. "I ran out of the house, around the house, and pulled her out of the window and brought her out."
Clark says his wife got checked out at the hospital and has some bruising, but miraculously, she’s going to be OK.
"Everybody’s alive, house can be fixed, no biggie," he says.
Featured
Mantua public schools closed Wednesday after storms ravage town
Public schools in Mantua Township closed on Wednesday as the South Jersey town cleans up from damaging overnight storms.
Mantua public schools closed
What we know:
Mantua School District announced all schools will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday "due to significant storm damage affecting surrounding roadways, including downed trees and power lines." Students will now return for their first day of school on Tuesday, September 8th.
Tuesday storm recap
Timeline:
Storms began to move across parts of southeastern Pennsylvania and into New Jersey around dinnertime Tuesday.
The ferocious storms prompted severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service, including a tornado warning in Burlington County. There are no reports that a tornado touched down as of Wednesday morning.
Severe storms could return to Philadelphia area, bringing flood and wind threat
Severe thunderstorms could return to parts of the Northeast through Friday, with Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C., facing threats on different days.
Along with downed trees, strong winds knocked out power for residents in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Delaware wasn't spared from the storm damage, including reports of a lightning strike at a house in Dover that sparked a fire.
The Source: Information provided by the National Weather Service and the FOX 29 Weather Authority.