WORCESTER COUNTY, MD - A powerful thunderstorm that passed through Worcester County Friday morning caused some significant damage in Ocean City.
The storm blew the roof off a condo building on 53rd Street around 9:30 a.m. on May 24th, leaving heavy debris in the canal behind the building.
Nobody was inside the condo that had the roof ripped off, but Teresa Sparklin, a nearby neighbor, was in her condo when it all went down.
"I thought it was just thunder, and the thunder turned out to be a disaster," said Sparklin.
WBOC's Chopper 16 flew overhead Friday, capturing video of workers beginning the process of cleaning up and repairing the building's bare roof. Parts of the roof littered the nearby canal.
Most of the debris piled up right behind Jennifer Rice's rental. Rice and her kids were outside this morning but she said they narrowly escaped what could've been a dangerous situation.
"We all turned around to go inside and as soon as we got into the patio door, we closed it and saw wood flying over the house, like instantly within a matter of 30 seconds," said Rice.
To paint a picture of just how roughly the debris was tossed around, a piece of wood was thrown into the side of a home like spear.
As of Friday afternoon, there were luckily no reports of injuries.
WBOC's Mike Lichniak says the storm passed through Sussex County, Delaware before entering Worcester County, Maryland. Wind velocities reached an estimated 50 mph as the storm cell passed over Ocean Pines, and 30-35 mph as it entered Ocean City.
At first, neighbors took the cleanup efforts into their own hands. Some paddled around on canoes while others were brave enough to actually get into the water.
A barge was called into the canal early in the afternoon on Friday. It was able to clear up the larger debris left in the water.
Contractors were able to put in a temporary roof on Friday, and they told us insurance assessments will take place over the next week. Their goal is to get a permanent roof installed within the next month.
