Several tornadoes swirled across New Jersey, tearing up and flattening homes when the remnants of Hurricane Ida struck the three-state area on Wednesday.
As images of flattened and dissected houses in southern Jersey circulated on social media, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Big Apple and Lower Westchester County to the city of New Rochelle.
“Protect yourself now in a basement or an interior room on the lower floor of a sturdy building,” the notice said. “If you’re outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the nearest substantial shelter.”
The alert was lifted before 10pm on Wednesday, but a minor Tornado Watch alert remained in effect throughout the region until 1am on Thursday, according to the NWS.
The alert included the five districts, Long Island, Westchester and Rockland, as well as Fairfield County, Connecticut and the northern counties of New Jersey, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union. Instant flood warnings were in effect in much of the region.
Instant flood warnings were in effect in much of the region.
A handful of houses in the residential area of Mullica Hill were flattened and the wind took roofs and cladding pieces from other houses, videos of the damage show on social media.
At least nine homes were destroyed in the community, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Other videos on social media show a nefarious moving cyclone seen from a back garden on Mullica Hill as the trees sway violently in the distance.
“We have a major tornado out there,” the video shooter says.
“Holy shit,” he adds before yelling at someone, “this is definitely a tornado.”
The entire southern part of New Jersey remains under a tornado clock.
The Garden State and its wider territories suffered at least three tornadoes in Burlington County, Camden County and elsewhere.
Much of the Pennsylvania area has been attacked by Ida, causing warnings of tornadoes and rains that have led to evacuations throughout the region.
A teenager was killed and two people were not detected by an apparent tornado near Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, The Associated Press reported.
On Wednesday, with more than 5 inches of rain in the mid-afternoon, the official ordered the evacuation of communities downstream from Wilmore Dam as water flooded the area.
Heavy flooding hit about 20 homes and swept away trailers in western Virginia, where dozens had to be evacuated, according to the AP.
With publishing cables