Microburst confirmed after survey team examines Plaistow damage
Severe weather brings down trees, power lines
The National Weather Service confirmed Tuesday that a microburst was responsible for bringing down trees and power lines Monday in Plaistow.
The NWS survey team said the microburst featured 80 to 90 mph winds and was 2 miles wide and 1.6 miles long.
Utility crews said power should be restored by the middle of the afternoon.
"I have never seen in my entire career a devastating mess or damage like this before," emergency management director Lt. William Baldwin said.
In some sections of the town, there are downed trees and power lines everywhere.
"We thought it wasn't going to be a bad storm, and then all of a sudden, it turned upside down, and it turned into a bad storm," resident Jesse White said.
White said the first thing he noticed was the rain.
"And we just started seeing stuff flying," he said.
White lost a few trees in his yard, but his house was untouched. His neighbor wasn't so fortunate.
"It's just a nightmare," resident Mal Burns said.
Burns wasn't home when the storm hit, but he returned to find trees fallen on his fence and against his home. He said it took him two hours to make it home through the blocked roads and downed wires.
The NWS team said it planned to head back to its office in Maine to regroup. There were no plans to examine storm damage in Madison, but officials said that could change. A survey team is also considering heading to Pittsburg.