From the archives: Twisters wreak havoc in Islip Terrace

This article was originally published in Newsday on July 19, 2007

A morning twister battered trees, sent lawn furniture flying and flattened summer gardens along Nassau Street in Islip Terrace yesterday.

The tornado, confirmed by the National Weather Service, touched down at about 9:20 a.m. and lasted 10 minutes. Residents said that before the tornado, which had wind speeds of up to 100 mph, it was raining, and then the weather patterns shifted into high gear.

Kevin Crawson, visiting family from Hawaii, said he'd been tracking the storm but wasn't prepared for the sudden strike. He watched the storm from his front porch.

"It started from a drizzle to a torrential downpour and the wind started swirling from every direction," he said. "It was as loud as thunder and there were live wires all around. I wanted to do something, but I just kind of stayed put."

Residents said it happened so quickly, there was not much time to act and no sighting of a telltale funnel cloud.

"The whole neighborhood went black, straight down the street," said Gail Nataro, who caught the storm from the front windows of her home. "The trees were twisting and you could hear the trees breaking and it sounded like gunshots. I thought it was a hurricane. It was almost like I was watching TV."

The snapping tree limbs toppled power lines and ripped out gutters all down Nassau Street. By early evening, chain saws were whirring as the debris was cleared. Kids rode by on their bikes, while others snapped pictures to record the damage.

Michael Trajbar of the National Weather Service said the tornado was 75 yards wide and two-thirds of a mile long. It started around Irish Lane and Sunrise Highway in Islip and continued into Islip Terrace, where it wreaked the most havoc.

John and Jodi Umpleby's backyard was the site of the most damage. A 15-foot patio, furniture and swing set were buried under four uprooted trees, blocking their back door.

"It stalled out in our yard," said Jodi Umpleby. "Everything was destroyed."

Arlene Finch lost two maples, and an oak tree from her girlhood that she said was 75 feet tall.

"My father planted that oak tree when I was 10 years old. It was absolutely beautiful in the fall," Finch said. "When they told me they had to cut it down, I was just devastated. It looks so empty back there."