Delco Home Split In Half During Monday's Storm: Officials

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Officials visited areas of Delaware County that were severely impacted by Monday's storm, including where a home was split in half by the storm.

Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, State Sen. John Kane, and a representative from State Sen. Tim Kearney’s office Thursday toured areas of Chadds Ford that were damaged by strong thunderstorms and high winds on Monday.

The tour, led by the County’s Director of Emergency Services Tim Boyce, provided an update on the homes, businesses, and roads that were impacted.

On Monday, several Delaware County municipalities experienced a strong thunderstorm with straight line wind gusts estimated by the National Weather Service at 85 to 95 mph, which is equivalent to an EF-1 Tornado but without rotation.

The storm caused trees to fall, bringing down power lines and utility poles, causing electrical fires, and damaging homes and businesses.

About 1,300 calls for service were dispatched to first responders through the county by the County’s 911 Center during or immediately following the storm.

More than 600 calls came in between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The majority of the storm damage was in the western section of the county.

Chadds Ford, Concord, Thornbury and Chester Heights have declared disasters.

The County estimates that 100 homes suffered damage and reports are still being filed.

More than 30 homes in Chadds Ford, Concord, and Thornbury were damaged, including a home in Chadds Ford that was split in half and a home in Thornbury that was moved off its foundation.

Homes in Haverford Township, Middletown, and Norwood also suffered varying degrees of damage.

No major injuries were reported.

"The destruction that the storm caused is devastating," Taylor said. "We’ve seen hundreds of trees down, dozens of homes damaged, and roads unpassable. We know many residents have a great deal of clean up ahead of them and the County is working with state and federal leaders to provide financial assistance."

Residents are urged to report downed trees and property damage to their municipalities.

The County’s Department of Emergency Services is continuing to work with affected municipalities to obtain damage reporting data from their residents and business owners.

They are beginning to obtain cost recovery data for storm related damage to infrastructure, cleanup of streets and/or public land for submission to PEMA for possible Public Assistance Re-imbursemen.