STORM SPAWNS TORNADO
A painting still hangs on the wall of a room ripped open by a tornado Tuesday at Rolling Fields Eldercare Community in Conneautville, Crawford County.
A tornado touched down Tuesday in Crawford County, tearing the roof from a building in an assisted-living complex in Conneautville and prompting the evacuation of its 162 residents because of concerns about leaking gas.
Two people from the complex were taken to a hospital for treatment of medical conditions sparked by the tornado, according to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service in Cleveland said late Tuesday that the tornado measured EF-2 on the enhanced Fujita scale, which rates tornados from 0 to 6 in severity. The storm had winds up to 115 mph and was 50 yards wide, the NWS said, adding it planned to investigate further Wednesday.
A trained weather observer spotted the tornado about 3 p.m., 9 miles north of Meadville, the
weather service said. Conneautville and Meadville are about 16 miles apart.
Linda Metzger, 62, saw the atmospheric conditions deteriorating outside her Conneautville home and decided to cook some food in case the power went out — but she never got the chance.
“I just turned on the burner and the next thing I know, I hear all this noise,” she said. “I looked out my front door, and I could see this tornado coming in.”
The twister blew the glass from her screen door into her home, filling her kitchen with shards and other debris.
As she scrambled to get herself and her two small dogs into the basement, the tornado tore through her property. A half dozen large trees were knocked down, and one fell through a steel shed where she kept firewood. Her garage door caved in, trapping her car inside.
But she was not hurt. “I feel lucky …,” she said.
Allegheny College in Meadville posted a campus warning atop its website, telling people to shelter in place until the storm warning expired at 4:15 p.m.
State emergency management officials confirmed that the tornado damaged a villa at Rolling Fields Elder Care Community and part of its main building.
Rolling Fields said on its Facebook page that no one was seriously injured. Two residents were taken to a hospital for “unrelated concerns,” and everyone else was evacuated.
The National Weather Service issued several tornado watches and warnings Tuesday for Western Pennsylvania, including in Allegheny, Westmoreland and Washington counties.
Meteorologists also were keeping an eye on areas in Forest and Venango counties, “where there is quite a bit of rotation’’ in storms hitting those areas, NWS meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said.
A PEMA statement concerning Crawford County said, “Emergency officials are monitoring the situation. With reports of standing water and downed trees on various roadways throughout the county, residents are urged to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.”
The American Red Cross sent teams from Erie and Meadville to open an evacuation center in Conneautville Middle School, said Pam Masi, executive director of the agency’s Northwest Pennsylvania chapter.
Ms. Masi said 130 Rolling Fields residents were being housed overnight at the middle school. Staff from the elder care facility were staying with them, and the school was providing food. The other residents were staying with family members or acquaintances.
Ms. Masi said a small gas leak at Rolling Fields was quickly plugged.
“It was amazing to see how this community came together today,” Jessica Loughner, 37, who lives near Rolling Fields, said of the emergency workers who helped the seniors at the elder care facility, even as the storm raged.