VIDEO: Beavercreek tornado of 2015
Don Moncrief is a mechanic at Performance Bicycle at the strip mall. He said he’ll never forget the twister that came through.
“It started to rain real hard and I was just standing right back here, right where I am now,” he said.
Store surveillance video shows the tornado as it traveled through the parking lot, hitting portions of the building as drivers try to veer out of its path.
“And I looked and I’ve never been close to a tornado before but I knew as it brushed the front of the building, I knew exactly what it was,” Moncrief said.
Another video shows large pieces of debris land on two vehicles.
“I could see the debris swirling. It blew our door open (to the shop). I could look up and see the windows and glass just flexing like crazy,” he said. “It came and went. I didn’t even have time to get scared.”
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The National Weather Service classified the tornado as an EF-1 with maximum wind speeds of 105 mph. The width of the tornado was 70 yards, and it was on the ground for one minute and traveled a half-mile. As many as 22 cars sustained damage in the shopping center parking lot in addition to building damage, the NWS said.
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There was plenty of damage to the Fit Works gym next door to Performance Bicycle, which was closed for nine days, Moncrief said.
“It wasn’t a vicious tornado, but I don’t want to do another one,” he said. “One’s enough.”
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