CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Neighbors in Hampton Park are reeling from a quick-moving storm that tore a path right through their Chesterfield neighborhood.
The storm hit at the same time children were supposed to be coming home from school.
The possible tornado downed trees and ripped siding and shingles off homes.
Ashley Stavac and her neighbor Connie Hill carefully embraced outside their home after they realized everyone was safe, despite the damage.
“I took off running and told my daughter to get in the bathroom," said Stavac. "All of a sudden. Everything in the back was laying flat. We heard a loud pop and it went black. We thought the patio umbrella had gone up against the house, but it was a large tree that had fall on my deck and house."
Janelle Howell said the storm tossed her patio umbrella through an upstairs window, while she hid in an upstairs bathroom.
However, all Howell said she could think about was her son at Cosby High School.
She said she was grateful Chesterfield County kept the students on lockdown at the schools during the multiple tornado warnings.
“I’m so glad they waited it out. My son would have been driving home right when it happened,” Howell stated.
At schools across metro-Richmond, students remained on lockdown until the storms passed. Some students did not get home until 7 p.m.
Elementary school student Moriah Johnson said several students were reassured by teachers.
“Everyone was worried and scared and complaining because it had gotten really hot in the hallways,” she said.
But after surveying the aftermath of the storm, several parents said they are grateful the schools were cautious and their families remained safe.
“It was very quick. It was over in the matter of a minute,” said Stavac. “It was the most frightening thing.”
