Christine SlusserSevere storms caused major damage across the East Coast Tuesday night. Perhaps one of the hardest hit areas was Madison County in New York, where authorities say at least four people are dead.
"We do know four homes were completely destroyed. ... the scene is still very active and as you can see in the video here today, there were multiple emergency units on the scene ... We don't even know how many people are injured at this point." (Via WSYR)
"Looked out the window and just saw blankets of rain and just trees falling everywhere."
"I'm still a little shaky from it." (Via WABC)
Maryland was hit, too. Authorities confirm one child died at a summer camp during the storms after a large tree fell.
"Something like this has never happened in our history, it was a freak storm that came up."
"Fire crews on scene say nearly 114 campers were caught outside ... when severe winds and rain ripped through the area."
The severe weather spanned across several eastern states, leaving a path of destruction behind.
"The powerful storms downed power lines, cracked utility poles and uprooted massive trees, leaving over 400,000 people without electricity this morning."
"It went from being a bad thunderstorm to crazy." (Via CNN)
And The Weather Channel says in the last two days there have been more than 600 severe weather reports. In Ohio alone, at least three tornadoes were confirmed Tuesday.
Thunderstorms occur most often in the spring and summer, as they thrive off moisture and fast, warm rising air.
And in Maryland, precipitation peaks in July and August —the state of Maryland says thunderstorms happen about once every five days.
Following Tuesday's storm, the mayor of the village of East Syracuse in New York declared a state of emergency. Cleanup is still underway in many states, and officials are looking through debris for victims or trapped survivors.
