TRAPPE, Md. — Cleanup efforts continued Wednesday after two confirmed tornadoes moved through the Trappe area Tuesday night, damaging buildings and leaving neighbors assessing the aftermath.
One of the hardest-hit locations was a warehouse on Backtown Road, where strong winds ripped away part of the roof and exposed inventory stored inside.
Jack Willey, warehouse manager for Global Vision 2020, says he rushed to the building after receiving a phone call about the damage.
“I grabbed my keys and rushed there, to see cover up anything with tarps. See what the damage was,” Willey said.
Willey says one of his biggest concerns was whether a recent shipment of products had survived the storm.
“I wasn't sure how much damage there was,” Willey told WBOC. “We had just gotten in a big shipment of product, earlier this month. So I was, scared about how much of the product had actually survived.”
He says much of the damage inside the warehouse came from rain pouring through the missing roof, but believes most of the inventory can still be saved.
“Most of the product should be salvageable. We will probably have to repackage, some of it, but at least most of it wasn't, heavily, heavily crushed or damaged,” Willey said.
Alix Lovell, who also works with the nonprofit, says the storm disrupted preparations for future shipments.
“We were nicely organized for quick shipment out,” Lovell said. “And now we're going to have to, a lot of the boxes are damaged, so we have to repackage and then reorganize.”
The tornadoes also damaged a barn on Barry Gaertner's property, though his home was spared.
“I couldn't believe what I saw and, told my wife, I said, My God, there's a tornado out there,” Gaertner said.
Gaertner says he and his wife took shelter under a stairwell inside their home as the storm passed.
“You're in the closet or in a room waiting to hear what you hear,” Gaertner said. “And when you start hearing thumping outside, you wonder if it's just going to start getting worse.”
Cleanup crews spent the day removing debris and assessing the damage across the area. Officials say no injuries have been reported as a result of the storms.
