MOONSVILLE — A funnel cloud swept through the 3700 block of East Gemini Drive in Moonsville, leveling a barn and scattering debris across several yards.
The possible tornado was reported at approximately 3:59 p.m., according to scanner traffic.
Debris from the barn, owned by Bill Maxwell, was dragged down Gemini Drive. Long strips of aluminum siding blocked the road.
Live power lines were down in front of Maxwell’s house and drooped at the intersection of Gemini Drive and Moonsville Pike like a curtain.
Members of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Richland Township Volunteer Fire Department and Madison County Emergency Management Agency arrived on scene to direct traffic and manage the downed power lines.
Residents of Gemini Drive walked along the road, talking on cellphones while assessing the damage. Among them was Randy Wilson, with his dog, Oscar, on a leash.
Aside from debris in yards and a tipped-over shed, there was little damage to the neighborhood, said Wilson. There were no known injuries.
“This is always your biggest fear, living in a neighborhood like this one,” Wilson said.
Wilson said he heard the cloud before he saw it. He grabbed Oscar and ran into his bathroom for safety.
“Oscar doesn’t like storms,” Wilson said. “He’s a little wigged out right now.”
While there were citizen reports of the tornado continuing into Delaware County, Wilson said it apparently dissipated.
“It looked like it dissipated to me,” he said. “It went on, carrying debris and then kind of fell off.”
There were no warnings issued by the National Weather Service for the tornado, Madison County EMA spokesperson Todd Harmeson said.
“There wasn’t a watch or a warning,” he said, “but I’m not sure why.”
Harmeson said Madison County EMA would be monitoring the weather throughout the evening, advising for storm warnings and directing traffic through storm damage, if needed.
The warning division of EMA works with the National Weather Service to examine storm damage to determine if a funnel cloud classifies as a tornado, he said. Around 60 storm watchers were available to be activated as storms started popping up across the state Friday.
“When those calls went in to (police) dispatch, we had people to the scene in just a couple minutes,” Harmeson said.
The division visited Gemini Drive after the storm, but its findings haven’t been announced.
by Laura Arwood (2018, July 20) The Herald Bulletin
