Roof torn off home, dozens of trees ripped from ground during tornado in Hampton Township

HAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — From trees being ripped from the ground to the roof of a home being torn off, intense storms Thursday night hit Pittsburgh’s North Hills neighborhoods particularly hard.

>>PHOTOS: Strong storms cause damage after multiple tornado warnings in western Pa.

As numerous tornado warnings fired across southwestern Pennsylvania, the damage in Hampton Township became widespread. The National Weather Service confirmed Friday morning that a tornado touched down in the community.

On Linden Drive, neighbors said it sounded like a freight train tore through their neighborhood, shaking their homes as they hid in basements and bathrooms.

>>STORY: 3 tornadoes confirmed in southwestern Pennsylvania during intense storms

The roof was blown off one home, exposing the attic and a family’s belongings stored in it. Part of the roof landed on the family’s truck that was parked outside the home. The same truck was also hit by a tree that fell onto power lines.

Over in the area of Harts Run Road, about a mile from Hartwood Acres, neighbors saw much of the same in the way of downed trees and property damage.

“I told everyone to get down in the basement. By the time we got down in the basement, it was gone. We got at least 30 trees in the neighborhood down,” Edward Oehling said.

Oehling has lived in his home for more than 20 years. While assessing the damage to his property, he counted more than 10 trees -- some over 50 feet tall -- that had come down. On top of that, debris included shingles, broken Halloween decorations and a trampoline that was blown from a neighbor’s yard nearly 100 feet away.

More damage was seen along Green Valley Drive. A massive tree was uprooted, creating a knee-deep crater in a home’s yard. The tree was 90-100 feet tall and narrowly missed hitting the house.

Mike Yuhas was just returning from his shift at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh when his wife, who was home with their two young children, called.

“She said she had heard the loudest thundering boom that she’s ever heard,” Yuhas said.

There was damage, including downed power lines and snapped trees, throughout the Yuhas’ neighborhood.

“You look across the valley here and the landscape looks nothing like it did yesterday,” Yuhas said.

RAW: Storm damage in Hampton Township

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