EF-1 tornado rips through Garner, more than 20 homes damaged

Residents in a Garner neighborhood are recovering after an EF-1 tornado hit their street on Sunday causing extensive damage.

Before 1:15 p.m., neighbors around Springview Trail heard the roars of crashing trees from inside their homes. The tornado traveled about 1.5 miles. It was on the ground for about four minutes and carried top wind speeds of 110 mph.

The town of Garner reports more than 20 homes were damaged after Sunday’s storm, with at least six homes inhabitable and four others with major damage.

Trees fell onto homes and cars, and piles of debris were visible along Timber Drive. Thankfully, no one was injured, according to the town.

On Monday, all roads had reopened as cleanup continues. Garner’s storm assessment teams were also on the ground taking inventory of the damage.

One video sent to WRAL News on Sunday shows fire shooting from the top of a utility pole as winds picked up and branches and debris quickly went flying through the air.

“Imagine you open a door and it’s just a huge tornado outside spinning around,” said Ashley Lopez. “I’m like, did I really just experience this?”

William Shaw, who lives on Springview Trail near Garner High School, said it all happened just seconds after the alert about a tornado warning hit his phone.

“As soon as I got that notification, I see it coming towards the house,” Shaw said.

“It was extremely loud, rumbling,” said Natalie Isrel. “The power was flickering on and off. I was petting my cat trying not to freak out.”

The chaos included whirling winds and punishing rain.

“You could just hear it. It’s like ‘whoosh-whoosh-whoosh,’ said Shaw. “So I talked to my momma, go in the bathroom. She is sick, she is on oxygen, so I told her, go in the bathroom, take shelter. And as soon as I did that, everything started hitting the house.”

The worst was over in seconds.

Shaw then stepped outside to find cars nearly crushed and a neighborhood permanently changed. Fortunately there were no injuries, but many had their weekend disrupted.

“You can just see how bad it hit my neighbors,” Shaw said.

At least eight houses and sheds were damaged along Buckhorn Road, Old Buckhorn Road and Ford Gates Drive. Some homes nearly split in half.

Ivory and Ivan Cunningham live right next door, and made it through unscathed.

“I would say coming out and seeing it is a terrible feeling,” Ivan said.

“You actually hear the debris, he said. “And you look outside, and you can’t see anything. It’s just clear white. You can’t see anything.

And it’s like ‘oh we’re actually in the middle of a tornado.’”

Garner officials, including Council Member Phil Matthews, toured the damage, and are encouraging people to stay out of the area if they can. On Monday, town employees will collect vegetation debris at curbsides in neighborhoods most affected.

“There’s wires down over there, stop lights down, and limbs hanging,” Matthews said.

NCDOT was working to repair a traffic signal at Woodland and Timber Drive. Duke Energy was working to restore power to affected customers.

“Let the fire and rescue do their job,” said Matthews.

On Sunday less than two hours after the storm, people were already stepping in to clear up the damage. One text to a church women’s group was all it took to bring out all these people to cut down limbs, and haul away the debris.

“Tree took out the garden, my fence, my laundry room,” said Griffin Stanley.

Stanley just moved into the neighborhood in October.

Trees damaged the side of the house, and his car. In the aftermath of this storm, he’s not having to pick up the pieces alone. For that, he’s thankful.

“It means a lot honestly,” Stanley said. “Because people can always say stuff, but it’s actions that speak louder than words. So knowing I have all these people to help me in the community to help me, really speaks volumes.”

A school bus at Garner High School was seen with its hood blown off. Maintenance crews were working to clear debris before the start of the school week.