FELTON, Del. - Families across Kent County spent the day cleaning up after powerful storm winds tore through the area, leaving behind damaged buildings, scattered debris and shaken homeowners.
In Felton, James Bee said his family took cover as the storm moved through and later came outside to find major damage across the property.
“Our detached garage there, the garage door was damaged completely,” Bee said. “The roof started to lift off. A big portion of that, we have a camper out back that flipped over.”
Bee said the storm also pushed down a chain-link fence, damaged a pool and caused some damage to the house, though he said the home itself held up well. He said the most important thing was that everyone inside made it through safely.
“Obviously we were just happy that everybody was okay,” Bee said. “Everything can be replaced.”
Elsewhere in Kent County, Mallory Vogl said she and her fiancé rushed to check on horses at her family’s property in Camden-Wyoming as the weather worsened. After the storm passed, she said they found damage to lean-tos used for the horses, debris spread across the property and significant damage to her fiancé's truck.
“It all happened very, very fast,” Vogl said.
Vogl said the cleanup will likely take several days as her family works to assess structural damage and remove debris. She said the experience was frightening, but she is grateful the damage was not worse.
“It’s going to be a few days for sure, cleaning everything up, but I’m just grateful that everyone is safe and okay,” Vogl said.
For both families, the cleanup is now the main focus as they sort through the damage left behind. They said the storm served as another reminder of how quickly severe weather can change conditions and how important it is to be prepared.
While repairs may take time, both said they are thankful the damage was limited to property and that no one was hurt.