Cleanup underway after tornado touches down on Cape Cod

By News Staff

Email: news@abc6.com

Twitter: @ABC6

YARMOUTH, Mass. (WLNE) – Cleanup efforts are in full swing after a tornado tore through a scenic, oceanside Cape Cod town Tuesday afternoon, causing extensive damage.  

The tornado on Cape Cod wreaked havoc on the area: tearing the roof from one Yarmouth hotel, bringing down trees and power lines, and causing serious damage and power outages.

The National Weather Service inspected the damage and rated the tornado at the top of the “EF-1” rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale— with winds reaching speeds of up to 110 miles per hour.

The worst of the damage stretches across the mid-Cape, from Yarmouth to Harwich.

Some of the damage was caused by the tornado, while other damage came from straight line winds.

ABC6 caught up with one Massachusetts man who was staying at The Cape Sands Inn when the storm hit.

“I saw the sky get really, really dark,” said Shamus Lombard, of Salem. “We heard this awful siren, and I realized it was actually going to be pretty bad, so we just like got down away from the window on the floor and just hid for a few minutes. It sounded awful, but it went by pretty quick. And then when we came back, the roof was gone.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Massachusetts EMA is reporting more than 30,000 people on Cape Cod are still without power.

A shelter is open at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School for storm victims who need it.

The National Weather Service is expected to release a final report on the tornado Wednesday.

©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019