‘It was terrifying’: County deals with aftermath of likely tornadoes

Homes struck by falling trees, with people trapped in Gaithersburg

June 5, 2024 11:33 p.m.

At least two likely tornadoes ripped through Montgomery County on Wednesday night, leaving at least three collapsed homes, fallen trees and downed power lines in their wake, after first touching down in Poolesville before moving through Germantown, Gaithersburg and Olney, according to authorities.

“It was terrifying,” Gaithersburg resident Nikia Smith told MoCo360 after the thunderstorm that spawned the tornadoes had ended. “When we heard it coming, we were tracking the storm in our basement. I had to run and get the cats and get the kids and put everybody in the basement.”

In the aftermath of the storm, county emergency crews were responding to collapsed buildings in Gaithersburg and checking for other damage in the county. As of 8:12 p.m., Pepco was reporting 44 active outages, affecting 918 customers, mostly in the Gaithersburg area.

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“We’re really trailing the storm to see what damage we see, what roadways are blocked,” Earl Stoddard, the county’s assistant chief adminstrative officer, said Wednesday night during a press briefing in Gaithersburg.

By the end of the evening, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service had responded to 88 incidents, with 35 storm-related, including reports of five trees that had fallen on houses, nine collisions and 10 reports of wires down, according to county officials. At about 10:30 p.m., about 650 homes were still without power.

Smith said she lives about three-quarters of a mile from Dogwood Drive, where a large tree fell on a home, trapping the occupants inside.

“It was an ordeal. It was scary,” she said of the tornado. “Things like that, we think it doesn’t happen here. It happens in Iowa.”

At about 8:46 p.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer told NBC4 that most of the damage, including downed power lines, had occurred in downtown Gaithersburg near Summit Avenue. Emergency responders have been dispatched to three homes that had been hit by falling trees, leaving people trapped inside.

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Five people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, with one suffering more traumatic injuries, and were transported to a local hospital, according to Piringer.

Twisted tree branches from Wednesday night’s tornado on the ground off of South Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg.

Montgomery County officials declared a condition red–usually designated when available fire and rescue resources may be inadequate to respond to the number of events that are occurring. County emergency responders were staging recovery efforts at Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg, according to transmissions. 

Around 7 p.m. the National Weather Service warned residents to take cover in the Gaitherburg and Germantown areas after a tornado touched down in Poolesville.

As of 7:44, a large tornado appeared to be west across Route 355 and I-270 by Gaithersburg High School, according to NBC4 meteorologist Doug Kammerer.

At 7:47, the tornado headed toward Shady Grove Road and the Intercounty Connector, he reported.

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According to the Capital Weather Gang, this was a “Particularly Dangerous Situation TORNADO WARNING from Germantown/Gaithersburg area to east central Montgomery County until 8:15p. It’s critical you take this seriously and shelter in a sturdy building away from windows. DO NOT DRIVE IN THIS. Get off the road.”

At about 8 p.m., Piringer told Kammerer that emergency responders have been dispatched to three building collapses in Gaithersburg.

MCFRS units were dispatched at 7:49 for a collapse of a house struck by a tree in the 400 block of Dogwood Drive. According to radio transmissions, five people were “stuck under the roof and someone is about to faint and having trouble breathing.”

A house on Dogwood Drive in Gaithersburg is blocked from view by the massive root ball of the tree that fell on it during Wednesday night’s tornado.

Initial responders found “heavy debris and trees down in the area” with several of the roads being impassible, according to radio transmissions.

The occupants were reported to be in the farthest room on the left when responders came through the front door, according to radio transmissions.

Residents on Hutton Street in Gaithersburg use saws to cut up a tree that fell during Wednesday night’s tornado. Credit: Sebastien Kraft

Rescue crews also responded to 3 Holly Drive and 201 Rolling Road for reports of trees falling on houses, leaving people trapped inside, according to radio transmissions.

Liz Calvey said she was riding her horse with two friends at Congressional Polo Club on Hughes Road in Poolesville when a tornado appeared. “All of a sudden we saw the funnel appear while we were on horseback and quickly ran to the trailer to get out of there as soon as possible as a tornado last year did some damage to the club,” she told MoCo360 in an email. “Luckily we all were safe.” 

Earlier in the evening, the National Weather Service had warned that for those in the direct path of a tornado touchdown, flying debris would be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Damage to roofs, siding, and windows may occur. Mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed. Tree damage was likely.

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