SHOCKING footages show a waterspout in Maryland leaving a trail of destruction after moving inland.
On Thursday, residents of Smith Island, Maryland watched in shock and horror as a waterspout touched down and destroyed several homes, and caused more than 50,000 power outages.
While there may only be a couple of hundred residents on this tiny island, the residents here make up a close-knit community that takes pride in its quaint nature.
Unlike a true tornado, a waterspout is a column-shaped vortex that begins over a body of water. Typically, waterspouts are less destructive than tornadoes because it remains in open water, but this waterspout continued its path on land.
As the wreckage continued, two residents, Amy and Daniel Somers caught part of the chaos in a video.
Unbelievable video from Thursday night on Smith Island from Amy & Daniel Somers. #baycountry979 pic.twitter.com/idjDCPUurh
— Bay Country 97.9 🎤🎧🎼 (@bay_country) August 5, 2022
Another video taken by a local resident shows the moment the waterspout demolished a neighboring building. The person filming the moment narrowly avoided getting swept up themselves, according to the caption.
DRAMATIC video of a resident narrowly escaping the Smith Island tornado, while a house next door takes a direct hit. (language warning). Video from Kathy Taylor-Donaway.
Last loop is in slow motion #mdwx #smithislandmd pic.twitter.com/R2da1K5VRu
— Rich Wirdzek (@RichWirdzekWx) August 5, 2022
Another footage caught by Ben Carver from what appears to be the opposite side of the bay, several miles from the location of the spout, shows the enormous weather event stretching from the ocean all the way up to the clouds.
Last night a destructive waterspout came ashore and became a tornado on Rhodes Point and Ewell, Smith Island. Our thoughts go out to those that were injured and lost property.
📹: Ben Carver pic.twitter.com/ASD9vGelwD
— Chesapeake Bay Foundation (@chesapeakebay) August 5, 2022
According to the National Weather Service, winds from the waterspout reached up to 45 miles per hour. There was also a chance that hail had made its way into the equation, too.
Smith Island sits in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay and has less than 300 residents. The island, famous for its namesake layered cake, comprises the communities of Tylerton, Rhodes Point, and Ewell. It is the only one of Maryland’s small islands that do not have a bridge that connects it to the mainland.
Beyond the recent waterspout damage, Smith Island has faced severe erosion that has claimed dozen of acres and caused a few residents to uproot from the small bayside community.
Sources: DailyCaller, Insider