1 of 11 2 of 11 3 of 11 4 of 11 5 of 11 6 of 11 7 of 11 8 of 11 9 of 11 10 of 11 11 of 11
Photos by WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karyn Regal and Bernice Corpuz.
WEBSTER (WBZ-AM) -- Some businesses on the Webster-Dudley line are reopening today, trying to get back to a sense of normalcy two days after a tornado touched down in the area Saturday morning--shattering glass and damaging several buildings in Webster's town center.
Meteorologists estimate that the tornado contained winds up to 110 mph, and the National Weather Service said it will issue a final report after it determines the storm's exact track. One woman suffered minor injuries when parts of a building landed on her car.
Webster Deputy Police Chief Michael Shaw said he considers it a miracle that only one person was hurt.
"We'll continue to do cleanup and assess where we're at as far as property damage, what we need to do to get our residents back to as close to normal living conditions as we can," Shaw said. "And then, kind of from a municipal standpoint, we're gonna debrief the incident, and where we go from here as far as administratively--you know, how do we get rid of all this debris that we have?"
As the town continues to clean up the damage and destruction, at least six properties have either been condemned or deemed uninhabitable.
Other storefronts and apartment buildings were boarded up due to broken windows.
One gas station employee told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz he was sweeping outside when the tornado came. He said he's grateful the station only sustained minor damage.
"It happened real quick," he said. "Just a couple minutes, everything was flying in the air ... I got scared. First they sent me a message on my phone, but I didn't take it seriously. The tornado came like, so fast."
WEB EXTRA: Webster, MA Town Administrator On Storm Damage
Just blocks away from the gas station, a pile of rubble was all that remained of two buildings that had to be torn down due to extensive damage.
Representatives from the American Red Cross are expected in town Monday to help residents who have been displaced by the tornado.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz (@BerniceWBZ) reports