TILGHMAN ISLAND, Md. - Wreckage from the storm can be found across Tilghman Island.
On Tuesday, the community found their homes and cars engulfed by trees and boats fallen over.
The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, NJ says the damage was caused by straight-line winds up to 80 mph.
Neighbors on Willey rd. and Coopertown rd. say they may have been hit the worst.
Kathleen Haga says, "It started raining real hard and then all of sudden I heard stuff hitting my roof and when I came to look out the window there was just like branches and debris flying down the driveway."
"When I got here, it was so devastating. To know that this is just a small piece of what the whole island has going on, its just a lot," says Shelley Larrimore.
But the community didn't let the devastation get them down. People were spending their 4th of July holiday with helping hands.
Bryant Pinder with Broad Cove was helping to rid peoples yards of fallen trees. He says, "Me and and buddy got together Zach Clifford and we're helping out. We're doing free work down here and we're just giving back to the community." Pinder added that they knew work needed to be done once they saw the damage.
"It was crazy. It was shocking. It was just like you got trees on houses and stuff it's just crazy because Tilghman has never had anything like this," says Pinder.
The National Weather Service conducted a survey Tuesday to determine, in part, if it was a tornado.
Below is the Press Release from Talbot County Emergency Services:
Emergency Services Assessing Severe Storm Impact from July 3rd.
On Monday, July 3, 2023, at approximately 7 p.m., reports of a strong storm in Talbot County near Tilghman Island came into the Department of Emergency Services dispatch center. Fire and police personal were dispatched to the area minutes later. Shortly after, reports of additional storm damage from around the County were received.
The area had sustained damage to houses and had downed power lines and fallen trees. Two homes were deemed uninhabitable by Talbot County building inspectors. Red Cross is assisting the individuals who may be displaced. Emergency Services and Public Works continues to inspect property damage this morning. As of 6 a.m., the county has received 15 reports of storm damage within the Tilghman Island storm area. Approximately 20 entries of “moderate damage” were reported during Emergency Service’s survey assessment at 9 a.m. in the Tilghman area.
Multiple power lines on Island Creek Road and Coopertown Road were downed during the storm. Currently, fewer than 5 customers are experiencing power outages. Delmarva Power is on the scene and estimates full restoration to occur today. They will be working around the clock until power is fully restored and lines are repaired.
Public Works crews have been working to clear trees from roadways and public property. Cleanup and damage assessment continues to be underway.
“We would like to thank our volunteer fire departments throughout the county for responding to numerous incidents related to the storm, including several trees into homes, three structure fires, and lightning strikes,” said Department of Emergency Services (DES) Director Brian LeCates. “Thank you to the Sheriff's Office and Roads Department for their hard work assisting, and Delmarva Power for their quick and effective response.”
If a individual is experiencing an immediate emergency, please call 911. Emergency Services is collecting data of the storm damage. If residents would like to contribute photos, please visit the DES Facebook Page. Only take photos if it is safe to do so.