LAKE CAREY, Pa. -- Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the tornado that tore through a lake community in Wyoming County.
Lake Carey was left devastated after the twister touched down on June 2nd, 1998.
It`s a peaceful day here in the Lake Carey community in Wyoming County.
But this placid scene is a far cry from what Lake Carey looked like 20 years ago.
An F-3 tornado touched down along shore drive on June 2nd, 1998, leaving a path of destruction as it tore through, flattening trees and damaging houses and properties.
“Everything was down, it just kind of like clear-cut right down from Route 29 over the top of the other hill, it just went over the hill,” said Bernie Razawich.
People living here remember the day and the aftermath vividly.
“Oh it was terrible, there were houses down and trees down and just so much devastation,” said Holly Dagata.
Jane Hellman bought a house on Lake Carey two years after the twister came through and says there was still a lot of damage left.
“It was still in the process of recovering, it took years,” said Hellman. “Everything was wonderful, everything was coming back but it still takes years to recover after something like that.”
People here say while the tornado did leave behind damage and devastation in its path, it also left behind a community that's now stronger from it.
“Oh yeah, definitely, yes, yes, sense of coming together and trying to do the best for the lake and I think we succeeded,” said Dagata.
“I got to watch the lake recoup and regrow and the community come together so it was a good experience,” said Hellman.
Neighbors say there was a lot of generosity in getting Lake Carey back on its feet.
“A lot of people have done a lot of things, we had a lot of donations, trees were planted, trees were donated and trees were planted,” said Dagata.
And so the effort on the lake paid off, bringing this community back to life.