Tornado Touches Down in NJ, Destroys Multiple Homes

Homes in Mullica Hill were severely damaged Wednesday night as the remnants of Hurricane Ida ripped through the area, brining heavy rain, winds, and at least one tornado.

Homes on Joanne Court were ripped apart, with one house’s entire side taken by the storm.

“I could see through the corner window…kind of like a whirlwind,” the homeowner, who was running with his wife and son to shelter in the basement at the time, told NJ Advance Media after the storm. “As (my wife) was … trying to close the door, the door came off,” he said.

“Thankfully we were all able to get down to the basement.”

He and neighbors were left surveying the damage in their neighborhood after the twister barreled through the Gloucester County neighborhood. Other homes in the area suffered severe damage, as well.

“You can see that the house is … uninhabitable,” he said.

Despite multiple reported sightings of tornadoes throughout parts of New Jersey Wednesday, the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly office said so far, it can only confirm the one tornado touching down, the funnel cloud that was seen in Mullica Hill in Gloucester County. Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist at the office, said it will be reviewing other reports after the storms end and will decide whether to send a survey team out to any locations where funnel clouds or heavy damage was reported.

Trees, debris, power lines, and even parts of ripped-apart cars could be seen strewn on the street, front lawns, and intermingled with damage from houses in the area

The Harmony Volunteer Fire Company in Mullica Hill reported rescuers from around Gloucester County were deployed to the heavily-damaged area. There were reports of “multiple victims trapped” in Harrison Township, which includes Mullica Hill, the fire department said.

“Gloucester County has experienced devastating storm damage. It is likely that multiple tornadoes have touched down within our communities,” the county’s Office of Emergency Management said in a statement.

Officials also opened a shelter at Gloucester County Institute of Technology, according to the Clearview Regional School District.

Harrison Township Mayor Lou Manzo said in an alert to residents that the tornado touched down at about 6:21 p.m.

”The Harrison Township Office of Emergency (OEM), our Police Department and Fire and Rescue are currently in contact and coordinating with the county and state emergency authorities,” he said in the alert. “Our priorities are assuring the safety and wellbeing of our residents, providing shelter to those who have an immediate need, assessing damage and initiating clean-up.”

Staff reporters Len Melisurgo, Noah Cohen, and Chris Sheldon contributed to this report.

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Chris Franklin may be reached at [email protected].