May 25, 2000
Murray
Power Outages
Holladay-Cottonwood
Details From AP
Last Summer's Tornado
"WE'RE IN A TORNADO!"
It was sheer exhilaration at the Minson house in West Jordan, as a tornado literally blew right through their backyard.
That tornado created the same excitement and fear, in several areas of the Salt Lake Valley Thursday evening.
We have team coverage beginning with Nadine Wimmer in one of the areas hardest hit.
Murray
At one home in Murray, you can see the tarps covering where the roof used to be.
A fierce storm left behind damage here and in several other places, and where there isn't damage, there's certainly lots of water.
A woman in Murray could hear the thunder and lightning, but at first didn't believe part of her roof was missing.
Ann Sargent/Homeowner: "WE HEARD THIS BIG CRASH AND WE DIDN'T REALLY THINK MUCH OF IT, WE JUST THOUGHT IT WAS THUNDER. AND THEN THE KIDS WERE UPSTAIRS AND THEY SAID IT WAS LEAKING IN THE CLOSET. "
Watch the power of the storm as it blows right into some kids shooting video on their back deck.
"IT'S A TORNADO."
It was enough to blow off part of the roof from a Holladay grocery store at 4800 South Highland Drive.
And to blow a tree right into a Layton home.
"IT WAS REALLY WINDY AND THE TREE FELL AND HIT THE HOUSE."
Thick, black storm clouds warned of the storm. But as wind and lightning swept across the valley
it brought sheets of rain.
Several city streets were flooded with water hampering cars
and even pedestrians.
It flooded storms drains.
And even brought a short downpour of hail.
Buzz baseball fans scurried for cover. Clearly the game was a rain out.
But there was at least one place in town where knee-deep water was more than welcome-- at East High.
Holladay-Cottonwood
People who live in the Holladay-Cottonwood area were also hit by Thursday's tornado.
News Specialist Jed Boal continues our live team coverage.
Plenty of people we spoke with said they saw the funnel cloud. They saw the swirling debris and it scared them to death. It came across the back corner of an Albertson's and ripped the roof off and scattered debris. A fire captain says they saw it on the way over.
That twister tore a metal roof off the recieving area at Albertson's at 4800 South Highland Drive. It scattered debris 200 yards and did some damage inside.
When the storm roared through out front everyone headed for cover in the store.
Everyone we spoke with said last summers tornado raised their level of fear when they saw this gathering storm.
More than a mile north and west, the storm ripped a limb from a tree and dropped it on a home. Some said they saw a twister. Others said it was just a fierce storm.
Power Outages
The storm put some 16,000 people in the dark.
Utah Power crews have worked throughout the night to get the power back on.
Six- to eight-thousand people in Davis County lost power, but most should have had it back by midnight.
About 9:00 p.m., thousands of West Jordan residents living between about 1600 South to 7800 South got their power back.
And so did hundreds of east side resident living between 33rd South and 45th South.
