DOVER, Del. (WPVI) — Officials have issued a state of emergency for the City of Dover after a confirmed tornado touched down Thursday night, leaving significant destruction in its wake.
Dashcam footage provided to Action News captured the damage as it unfolded, with debris scattering through the air along North DuPont Highway.
“Honestly, it’s a miracle. I don’t know how we made it out of this without anybody being injured,” said Lt. Mark Hoffman, spokesperson for the Dover Police Department.
Police reported that the city is contending with numerous downed trees, flooded roadways and other storm-related damage throughout the area.
Residents recalled harrowing conditions as the tornado swept through the city.
“I never experienced anything like it,” said Julian O’Neill. “The craziest part was the sound of it. It was like a whistling sound, almost like a train sound. The rain was so bad and the wind was so bad, you couldn’t really see it. All you could see was the trees bending down like crazy.”
Reagan Coder, also of Dover, said the familiar sound immediately triggered alarm.
“I heard the train sound and I just knew. I knew it was a tornado. I knew I had to go into my bathroom,” he added.
Two neighboring hotels , the Days Inn and the Superlodge on North DuPont Highway , both lost portions of their roofs during the storm.
Randall Butler, who has been staying at the Superlodge for months, was at work when the storm moved through.
“It’s unbelievable. Thank God I wasn’t there because I was gonna take off, but I’m glad I didn’t,” said Butler.
The storm also created hazardous conditions for utility crews and emergency personnel.
“As you can see there’s power lines down, significant damage to poles. We have a roof structure hanging over power lines, so it’s creating a dangerous situation for our power crews,” Hoffman said.
Damage was also reported at the Kraft Foods facility and a Little League field on Electric Avenue, where a fence was knocked over, poles were ripped down and a tree brought down the scoreboard.
The storm system triggered two separate tornado warnings for Kent County on Thursday night.
According to the National Weather Service, a trained spotter reported a rain-wrapped tornado on the ground and flying debris around 6:18 p.m. Teams are expected to survey the damage Friday to determine the intensity, path, and extent of damage.
Dover police urged residents to stay home and avoid traveling so emergency crews can work safely. Authorities also asked people not to call 911 to report power outages.