People said they had a difficult time getting a cell phone signal.
Springfield resident Mirna Colón was getting her hair done at a downtown hair salon when what she described as dark cloud began covering the sky. “I saw a dark cloud and then what looked as a tornado, a lot of wind with garbage,” said Colon.
Victor Melendez, of Springfield, was among many local folks who stayed outside as the winds blew. “I saw the tornado taking debris from the downtown building. I stayed outside to see if I could help others, I may be 71 years old but I am agile and have gone through similar things in hurricanes,” said Melendez, native of Puerto Rico.
Traffic was brought to a standstill in the center of the city while ambulances tried to squeeze by.
Large trees were torn from the ground.
Local residents walked downtown dialing their cell phones trying to reach family and friends. Many could not get a signal. “I called my daughter and couldn’t reach her. I just have to make sure she is ok,” said Colon.
Many worried that the city was not prepared for this events. “There was a lot of debris on top of the buildings and that should be taken care of in case something bigger could happen because look at what happened to Japan,” said Melendez.
Jennifer Dann, manager of Café Lebanon on 1390 Main St., described how the winds blew the chairs in the business’s patio area, but no said one was hurt.
“All the doors got wide open and it got really dark,” Dann said. “We thought it was going to be just another thunderstorm but the debris was flying, the branches falling, all at the same time. We have patio tables and everything was picked up by the winds but luckily no one was hurt, we have glass windows but everything flew towards the other direction.”
Local businesses began closing early evening. “We are concerned about power running out, everyone is trying to get a hold on their families and we heard there was a ga leak down the street,” Dann said.