Microburst ravages Fayette mobile home park

"This was all brand new," she said. "I just had it done."

A hole was punched in the bathroom floor, and the toilet appeared to have slid into the bathtub/shower stall.

"This will all have to be replaced," Surrena said.

Her boyfriend, Larry Garletts, had been working at the home all day.

Inside, his sisters, Loretta Ghrist and Linda Shallenberger, swept broken knickknacks and glass from fallen picture frames into a pile. They worked against gravity, the mobile home having slid about three feet off its foundation, breaking away from the porch and landing at a slight tilt.

"I'm sick to my stomach," Surrena said. "I don't know how I'm going to afford this."

She has no insurance on the home she's lived in since 2000.

Surrena's was one of a handful of mobile homes in Strickland Estates, off Walnut Hill Road, that are uninhabitable from damage sustained by Monday night's powerful storm system.

Rich Kane, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said the damage was caused by a microburst, not a tornado. "A microburst is a strong gust of wind. We saw no evidence of rotational damage on the ground and there was no sign of a tornado on radar."

Kane said the microburst was 500 yards wide and 200 yards long, with winds of 60 mph. "They're quite common during summer storms."

"Some residents reported heavy rain and small hail, in addition to the heavy wind," said Jim Bittner, planning and training officer with the Fayette Emergency Management Agency. "There was also some damage in the northern part of the county, in Perry, Jefferson and Washington townships, with trees down and sporadic power outages throughout the county."

The park lost electrical power shortly after 9 p.m., residents said, and it did not return until about 4 a.m. Residents grabbed flashlights and lanterns and headed out into the dark to survey the damage.

Allegheny Power spokeswoman Janice Lantz said about 2,700 Fayette County customers lost power because of the storm. Service was restored to the majority by 5 p.m. yesterday, she said.

Tina and Tim Strickland own the park, where about 90 homeowners reside.

Yesterday, Tim Strickland went door to door to assess damage and offer help with cleanup. He filled a large pickup numerous times, and planned to eventually take the haul, including damaged insulation and skirting, to a landfill.

The Stricklands' home was among the most severely damaged.

Tina Strickland waited out the storm Monday night at Tiff's Market, the park store where she works.

The roof of their home was peeled off in a long section, and the mobile home's skirting lay in the yard. The porch roof and a porch swing landed two homes back. And the home was off its foundation.

"I'm just thankful nobody got hurt," she said. "This stuff can be replaced. It's terrible what happened. But everybody here pitches in and helps everybody. ... That makes a world of difference."

Residents rode through the park on ATVs yesterday, checking on neighbors.

An insurer had not been out to look at the Stricklands' property yet.

"I'm trying to take care of everybody else first," she said.

"It's going to be a struggle for most of these people," Tim Strickland said. "A lot of (the mobile homes) moved. Three or four are completely off their foundations. There is a lot of work to be done. It's not over just because it's cleaned up."

Strickland guessed most residents were uninsured.

Bittner said those whose homes were damaged likely will not qualify for disaster assistance.

"The municipality would have to declare a disaster," he said. "A disaster would require that 25 homes be damaged. Mobile homes would have to be destroyed or sustain major damage."

Brian Knavish, spokesman for the American Red Cross, said three people, all from the same home, have been left homeless because of the severe wind damage. "We are providing them with food, clothing and shelter," Knavish said. "We are available to provide assistance to any others who may need it."

Surrena and the Stricklands declined Red Cross assistance.

Guy Napolillo, 911 coordinator for Fayette County Emergency Management Agency and Fayette County hazardous materials team chief, said the Stricklands' unit shifted, struck a heating oil tank and broke off one of the tank's legs, causing some oil to spill. Some was pumped into a reserve tank, while absorbent pads were placed on the ground to soak up as much as possible of the remainder.

Helen Humphries, state Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman, said the agency was overseeing the removal of the oil to ensure it was disposed of in a regulated site.

"We will work with the responsible party and make sure cleanup is complete," Humphries said. "Whether there is enforcement action, it's far too premature (to determine)."

Napolillo said firefighters from Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department were on the scene overnight assisting with cleanup. Other park residents said firefighters helped remove fallen trees from Walnut Hill Road.

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