Cleanup underway after Saturday evening storms rip through Central Pennsylvania | WTAJ

LORETTO, Pa. (WTAJ)– Cleanup is underway at several homes across our area as a Saturday evening storm ripped through Central Pennsylvania.

Syberton Road remained closed Sunday afternoon due to trees, a telephone pole and other debris blocking portions of the road. Near the end of the road, Adam Beiswenger and his mother were using chainsaws to clear their property, after what they say was a scary night before.

“Our charcoal grill was on its lid,” said Beiswenger. “The old tree that mom, dad and my sister planted when they built the house was down. We had a couple Chinese Chesnuts come down. The road was absolutely covered in branch pieces and leaves and twigs and stuff. It was harrowing going up.”

About half a mile down the road Dan Dewitt and his family were watching the storm on their porch Saturday evening until they got concerned for their safety.

“The wind started blowing, it started raining severely,” said Dewitt. “I said to them we better go in the basement. We went in the basement and I heard all the stuff smashing and crashing around the house.”

While Dewitt’s home was left unharmed his property wasn’t.

“It busted a bunch of trees here on my camper. And then there’s probably about six trees in the backyard that are all snapped off.”

Noll Road was left impassible by debris as trees knocked down several power and telephone lines as well. In Loretto, the storm caused damage to the shrine at St. Michael’s Basilica. Father John Byrnes witnessed the storm from the church.

“This morning I came out to look at the shrine, we had numerous trees down, debris everywhere,” said Byrnes. “The statue of Saint Joseph at the entrance of the shrine was destroyed and just debris everywhere. We’re very grateful to god that it wasn’t worse than it was.”

Thanks to the community and church members, the cleanup of the shrine went quickly. Byrnes says he is happy that after all of the damage they were still able to have mass outdoors Sunday evening.

“At six this morning I thought we won’t have this cleaned up for days,” said Byrnes. “And here we are we’re cleaned up and ready to go tonight for mass outdoors. We’re just grateful that the storm wasn’t any worse.”