CAPE CHARLES, Va. (AP) - The sky turned black and cellphones pinged with emergency messages. Moments later, a tornado ripped through a sprawling, carnival-like campground Thursday, snapping dozens of trees and flipping over RVs.
A tree fell on a New Jersey couple's tent, killing them, and their 13-year-old son in a tent next to them suffered life-threatening injuries. About three dozen other people were hurt, with injuries ranging from cuts to broken bones to more serious, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said.
"All hell broke loose," said Joe Colony, who has been coming to Cherrystone Family Camping & RV Resort campground along the Chesapeake Bay for 30 years. "We got an emergency message on a cellphone and within 30 seconds, the thing hit and it blew down 40, 50 trees in the park."
About 1,300 people were at the campground, readying for a summer day of swimming pools, mini-golf, pier fishing and other activities at the 300-acre resort in rural Northampton County.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for the area about 9 a.m. EDT Thursday and later confirmed a twister had hit.
Joe Micucci said he and his wife couldn't escape in their car because hail was the size of softballs. The couple rode out the storm in their camper.
"We saw at least five (campers) that were flipped over. One was completely gone and only had its wheels left," said Micucci, of Washington Township, New Jersey.
Across the country in Spokane, Washington, severe thunderstorms knocked out power to more than 60,000 customers and damaged dozens of homes Wednesday. One driver suffered life-threatening injuries when a tree slammed onto his car, impaling him. Severe thunderstorms were forecast for the northern Plains on Thursday and could threaten the Deep South and mid-Atlantic..