YARMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - Public safety officials are urging residents to stay inside as crews work through the night to clear downed power lines and trees after a tornado blew through the Cape Tuesday.
Downed trees and power lines littered the area, with some roofs partially ripped off houses. A pole had fallen through a pickup truck windshield.
Resident Jon DiGeronimo said he’s lived on the Cape for decades and never saw a storm like Tuesday’s.
“That’s the strongest wind I’ve ever seen,” DiGeronimo said, adding he and his wife rode it out in their basement. “When I saw it coming down I said to my wife, let’s go down [to the basement] … you could feel the house vibrate.”
Power crews working thru the night in Yarmouth trying to get residents back on line #7news pic.twitter.com/FSmpRRMVsy
— Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) July 24, 2019
Neighbors were checking in on each other, but Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Fredrickson said residents should stay at home instead of taking photos of the damage.
“Our second biggest problem is managing people who come out to look and drive around,” Fredrickson said. “Give us a break for a minute.”
Frederickson said the largest problem first responders are facing is getting to the areas that have reported downed trees and power outages. Eight thousand people are without power, he said.
A gas leak at a home on Cruiser Lane caused problems for firefighters who say this storm was unlike any they had seen.
“It is treacherous in West Yarmouth,” Frederickson said. “As bad as it is, other communities were hit harder.”
The National Weather Service confirms a tornado did touch down once in Yarmouth and again in Harwich.
For more, visit the 7Weather page.
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