HARFORD -- It happened in an instant.
Tiffany Smith of Harford said she spotted a tornado outside her home late Thursday afternoon. She grabbed her dog and ran inside.
"We heard this loud thunder and then all of a sudden I see the sky like whirling around in a circle and then I heard that loud train whistle that everyone speaks of before you hear a tornado or see one," said Smith.
The wind cracked a tree in her backyard that her grandfather had planted decades ago, crushing a shed, but missing her family's home.
"I see stuff flying everywhere. I see people's roofs being blown off and chairs flying and then I hear a loud bang which was the tree," she said.
"It's literally unbelievable because it touches down and then there's nothing. A garbage can was standing perfectly straight up but the tree, the shed are demolished, but the garbage can is standing there. I've never seen anything like it," said Tiffany's mother, Rhonda Smith.
Damage is everywhere in Harford Township.
A snapped utility pole in one spot, trees down all over. Stevens Road in the township is closed because of all the downed trees.
Township officials said it will remain closed until at least Monday.
Pieces of a fence were ripped off, a nearby roof was damaged too.
The back porch of a home blew over the roof and landed in the front of the home.
The Red Cross has set up at the township volunteer fire company to shelter and feed those without power. Volunteers said they will be available until the power is restored. A health volunteer is also on-hand to help people who need medications or other health needs addressed.
Crews have been hard at work dealing with the mess left behind.
"It's pretty brutal really. Every property suffered damage here on one level or another," said Chris O'Hara of O'Hara's Tree Service.
"I never imagined it's such a quiet little town in the middle of nowhere, but we got so lucky with our neighbors, everyone just rushed to help out. It's such a loving town," said Tiffany Smith.