Clean-up is continuing on public roads and private properties in Burrell and Center Townships from tornadoes that touched down on Saturday night.
The National Weather Service on Monday declared that two tornadoes touched down in Indiana County, marking the first two confirmed tornadoes to hit the area since 2002. An EF-1 tornado with wind speeds of up to 90 miles an hour touched down just before 8:30 PM Saturday along High Rise Drive, and as many as 25 properties were damaged. Crews have been working on cleanup since the storm ended and today, Burrell Township and PennDOT crews are on High Rise road clearing away branches and trees that were uprooted or knocked over. Dan Shacreaw, Burrell Township Supervisor said that High Rise Drive was one of the heaviest hit areas, and he had never seen anything like the damage he saw after these storms.
(Dan Shacreaw works on sawing a limb away on High Rise Drive.
Photo by Josh Widdowson)
–Dan Shacreaw, Burrell Township Supervisor
Meanwhile in Center Township, one of the hardest hit areas by the EF-0 tornado was the Bork farm on Neal Road, which took out a metal barn that was still in the process of being built, with some of the metal pieces found as far away as Luther Ford on Route 119. Dave Bork, Jr. of Bork Farms said when the building was finished, it was supposed to house their cattle.
(The remains of a cattle barn on the Bork Farms in Center Township.
Photo by Josh Widdowson)
–Dave Bork, Jr.
Several pieces of machinery that was stored in there took on minor damage, including their hay baler, which will make sure they can continue to bale hay, and they did not lose any cattle. The Borks are receiving help from their neighbors as they look to rebuild.
