Families Pick Up Pieces After Thornbury Tornado Severely Damages Eight Homes

Kristin Bevilacqua-Nowell shows an Inquirer Reporter and photographer the room where her children were sleeping when the wind blew a window outward from the home onto the ground, at her home on Chelsea Court in Thornbury Township. Image via Jessica Griffin, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kristin Bevilacqua-Nowell’s house in Thornbury sustained catastrophic damage but her family got out safely, writes Anna Orso for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

They are five of about 20 people who had to leave their homes Friday when an EF-2 tornado touched down in Thornbury, leaving eight homes completely ravaged. Others suffered broken windows, missing siding and blown-off shingles. There are hundreds of downed trees.

Nearby neighbors Shane Wilson, left, and sister Noelle Wilson, center, walk their dog Auggie past a damaged house from Wednesday’s storm in Thornbury Township. Image via Jessica Griffin, The Philadelphia Inquirer.

There was only one injury.

“It’s miraculous,” said Jim Raith, township board of supervisors chairman. “If it were a few hours earlier —.” A few hours earlier was trick-or-treating.

Displaced residents came back to their homes on Chelsea Court after the tornado to assess the damage.

Now, they’re wondering about next steps.

On Friday, Bevilacqua-Nowell, 30, walked through the house with her father, Gary Bevilacqua, who owns the home. The challenge was trying to get an insurance adjuster there as soon as possible.

He figures he’ll be fixing up the house — dealing with insurance, finding the right contractors — for months, if not a year or more. For now, his daughter and her kids are crashing with him.

First thing, he told his daughter: “Figuring out where you’re going to live.”

Read more about the impact of Delco’s tornado here.

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