Cranberry Cleans Up: 6 Injured, 68 Homes Damaged by Storm
By BOB SCHULTZ, Eagle Staff Writer

CRANBERRY TWP - Tuesday evening's storm that hit the township injured six people and damaged 68 homes and more than a dozen businesses.

Jody Knights, executive director of the Butler County Chapter of the American Red Cross, said Wednesday of the homes damaged, one was destroyed, eight have major damage and the other 59 have minor damage. No damage cost estimates were available.

The house that was destroyed is on Shady Oak Drive in the Bristol Creek housing plan.

That housing plan and the Fox Run plan were the two residential areas in the township that took the brunt of the storm, which had winds as high as 100 mph, the National Weather Service estimated.

Peter Longini, township communications director, said Wednesday six people were taken to hospitals with injuries from the storm.

Four remained hospitalized Wednesday. Three of those were described by emergency medical first-responders as "severe," he said. The names or conditions of those injured were not released.

Houses with major damage - such as a heavily damaged roof or a missing section of the second story - have been categorized by Knights as uninhabitable until significant repair work is completed.

Three teams from the Red Cross, along with township officials, on Wednesday morning did damage assessments in the residential areas.

Emergency medical personnel and nurses from UPMC Passavant Cranberry also helped in health assessments of residents affected by storm damage.

"In my 14 years here, I've never experienced something this significant," said township manager Jerry Andree of the storm's destructive power.

The National Weather Service officially categorized the storm as a downburst, with winds exceeding 100 mph, despite several eyewitness reports of a tornado funnel cloud in the area of the Cranberry Mall.

During severe thunderstorms, a burst of intense winds may develop that is strong enough to flatten buildings and knock down trees. These winds, known as downbursts, are often mistaken for tornadoes because of the severity of the damage.

In a downburst, air dives toward the surface, whereas in a tornado, air rises.

Duane McKee, township public works director, said the township is assisting residents with their property cleanup by offering to either collect or chip fallen trees. Residents are asked to pile tree limbs as close to the road as possible so township crews can dispose of them.

The township's cleanup help will extend through this weekend.

Andree lauded the efforts of businesses and residents cleaning up downed trees.

"Last night was a war zone. Today, you can hardly tell (what went on)," he said on Wednesday.

Of more than a dozen businesses affected around the area of Routes 19 and 228, only the Monroe Muffler shop on Dutilh Road, King's Jewelry store and Party City in the Cranberry Shoppes remained closed Wednesday afternoon.

The muffler shop had a large part of its roof torn off.

Utility crews were able to restore electricity to most of the township by Wednesday afternoon, Andree said.

Andree, township supervisors and staff members toured the damaged areas with representatives from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, who later determined the township will not qualify for PEMA or Federal Emergency Management Agency aid.

"Because it was such a localized storm and many of those affected are insured, we will not qualify for PEMA and FEMA funding," Andree said.

While some residents and businesses were hit hard by the storm, Andree said, "The cost to public property was very minimal. We were spared any major municipal damage."

Mark Nanna, chief of the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, said more than 11 fire departments and 60 to 70 firefighters and emergency medical personnel assisted at the Cranberry Mall and the Fox Run housing plan for more than eight hours.

"We first got the call around 5 p.m. that power lines were down on Route 228. Then, we got the call of the collapse at the Cranberry Mall," Nanna said.

The fire company set up a command post at the Cranberry Mall, from which Nanna dispatched firefighters and emergency crews.

"Everything ran really smoothly. There were no major problems," he said.

Nanna said the Cranberry fire company practices for such emergencies through disaster drills involving collapses and overturned vehicles. Once a year, the department holds a major disaster drill that involves emergency personnel and mutual aid fire departments.

CRANBERRY TWP - In the aftermath of Tuesday's storm, residents and businesses Wednesday engaged in cleanup efforts to remove debris from the heavy winds and rain.

Although much of the area felt the effects of the storm, businesses near the intersection of Routes 19 and 228 as well as neighborhoods in the Fox Run area were hit hardest.

The storm, which had winds as high as 100 mph, was called a downburst by the National Weather Service.

Residents of Meadow Drive gathered Wednesday to dispose of debris from the storm.

Sharmon Paris practically had the entire right side of her house blown away.

She said when the house began to tremble, she started to worry. Then her daughter's screams from the upstairs bedroom confirmed something unusual was happening.

Paris said she ran upstairs to her daughter when windows began to shatter from the pressure of the storm. Shortly after, the side of the house began to give way.

"The worst part about (the storm) is that it came without warning," she said. "It all happened so fast but it felt like we were in slow motion."

Paris said although an estimated cost on damages will not be available until the house is assessed, the important thing is nobody was seriously injured.

"We don't need to worry about the house right now. It can be repaired," she said. "I am just thankful everyone is alright."

Chris Dishong, also of Meadow Drive, received minimal damage to her home. She said other than some fallen tree limbs in the yard, her property wasn't hurt by the storm.

While working from home, Dishong said the lights inside her house began to flicker and she felt pressure in her ears from high winds. She looked outside to notice her neighborhood was being hit hard by the storm.

She said although her residence didn't have as much damage as other houses on Meadow Drive, she felt obligated to help.

"Some (neighbors) lost everything," she said. "The least we could do was help them."

Similar to township residences, some businesses where harder hit than others.

King's Jewelry and Party City in the Cranberry Shoppes Shopping Plaza had a substantial amount of damage, according to Jason Gant, an estimator with Servicemaster Restoration Sales. He said wind tore through the two businesses, causing front and interior damage.

He said the priority is to secure each business to prevent further damage.

Technician Mark Bougher, also of Servicemaster, said high winds from the storm not only shattered glass on the front of the jewelry store, but it blew through the back wall of the store.

Gant said it is uncertain when the businesses will reopen.

Robert and Kathy Gehry of Dunkin Donuts on Route 19 felt the effects of the damage caused at Cranberry Shoppes as well. Robert Gehry said roofing and portions of the wall at the shopping plaza were blown across Route 19 and onto the doughnut shop.

Along with debris from other businesses, Dunkin Donuts received some damage of its own.

Kathy Gehry said although serious damage did not occur, the shop had damage to its sign, front and parking lot.

Robert Gehry said the building's sign was recovered Wednesday morning five miles from the shop.

The shop should reopen today, Kathy Gehry said.

"It's just going to take some time to get everything back up and running," Robert Gehry said.

Home Depot on Dutilh Road remained partially open Wednesday although it lacked electricity and had roof and water damage.

Pam Narvett, store manager of the Home Depot store in Chippewa, helped at the Cranberry store. She said the franchise contracts the services of emergency personnel to provide aid in these types of situations.

She said the Cranberry store closed during the storm, but with the help of neighboring store managers and an emergency team, it was able to be open on Wednesday.

Rich Ruck, manager of the Home Depot in Ross park, who also helped, said it is too early to estimate the extent of the damage but the Cranberry store will remain open through the repairs.