LONGVIEW, Wash. — A powerful tornado raced through the heart of Longview Thursday afternoon, tearing apart roofs ripping down power lines and uprooting trees.
“It started right in front of me,” said Charles Strozyk. “I just watched the stuff go flying.”
“All of the sudden you started hearing popping and everything from other building. Somebody yelled, 'tornado!' and we all ran inside,” said Steve Scott.
Eyewitness watched the funnel cloud descend from dark gray storm clouds around 1 p.m., then ran for cover as the twister roared down Vandercook Way for about six blocks.
“It was like a waterfall going a thousand miles an hour,” said Dan Lewis. “I ran for the back corner.”
Several downtown businesses suffered roof damage as the tornado ripped huge openings in the buildings. Longview Sewing owner Bradley Parker said he’d have to remove all his inventory because of damage to the roof of his business. Parker said employees and customers took cover as the twister tore into the building for 30 seconds.
“It was a very long 30 seconds, very long,” said Parker. “But everybody was good. Nobody got hurt. That’s the thing that matters most.”
There were no reported injuries. As of Thursday night the Cowlitz County Department of Emergency Management did not have an estimate of the cost of the damage.
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