Introduction to the Tornado
Residents along Glencannon Drive in Pico Rivera were expecting rain. But instead they got a tornado Thursday morning that downed trees and damaged several homes. The tornado uprooted multiple trees along its path, sending some crashing into vehicles and homes. A brick wall collapsed in Edgar Reynoso’s backyard, but the rest of his home was relatively untouched by the strong winds.
Experience of the Residents
“I heard like a big old bomb,” he said. When he looked outside his window around 3:15 a.m., he saw lightning strike across the sky. Then he heard the winds gusting through his street. “It’s my first tornado,” he said looking at his collapsed wall. “It’s my first time living through it and it was … it was pretty scary.”
National Weather Service Confirmation
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Pico Rivera early Thursday with wind gusts up to 85 mph. The tornado formed around 3:15 a.m. and traveled roughly a mile. Meteorologist Ariel Cohen with the National Weather Service walked the path of the tornado. The tornado uprooted multiple trees along its path in Pico Rivera, sending some crashing into vehicles and homes. (Ringo Chiu / For The Times)
Tornado Measurement
The tornado measured as an EF0, the lowest rating on a scale of 0 to 5 and measured about 80 yards wide. The tornado is on the upper end of the lowest rating of the EF scale, according to Cohen. The damage pattern of the tornado is consistent with “a small, weak, brief tornado,” Cohen said. “While brief, it was still damaging,” Cohen said.
Resident Experiences and Damage
Cuba Garcia woke up because he thought somebody was hitting the side of his home. But when he looked at his home’s security camera, he realized that a strong wind had yanked out a metal canopy in his front yard and flipped it onto his roof. “He was stuttering, trying to explain to me what happened,” his mother, Dalia Garcia, said. “It was unlike anything I had ever seen before,” Cuba Garcia said. The home was relatively unscathed, but several tarps and canopies were blown into the family’s backyard. A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said the Pico Rivera tornado, while brief, “was still damaging.” (Ringo Chiu / For The Times)
Aftermath and Response
Several hours later, Dalia Garcia walked down the street to ask a crew of city workers if they could help her remove the canopy from her roof. A worker explained that they couldn’t help, because it was a piece of her own property that flew onto the roof. Cuba Garcia said he would probably have to recruit some friends to climb up on the roof with him and break apart the structure, which now resembled an upside down turtle. “Earthquakes we can go through in our daily lives and be fine, but a tornado … tornadoes are just something totally different,” he said.
Community Impact
A large branch fell on top of Jesus Velazquez’s bright orange 1972 El Camino. City workers helped push his car out of the way as they trimmed the pine tree that damaged it. Velazquez wants the tree gone. “I’m just glad that we’re safe, but I have to go complain to City Hall about this,” he said. Carlos Aguilar’s dog woke him up when the wind was howling outside. He heard a loud thump and looked out his window to find a 75-foot pine tree had crashed into his yard, narrowly missing his front door. His 2018 Hyundai Elantra was not so lucky and was stuck under the tree for hours Thursday morning. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Aguilar said.
Official Response
Steve Carmona, Pico Rivera city manager, said there were no injuries reported in the city and the majority of the property damage was focused on Glencannon Drive. “There’s a lot of water saturation and we’re definitely going throughout the area and identifying any trees that may be at risk and removing them,” Carmona said. Andre Garcia watched as city crews cleared downed trees from outside his home on Glencannon Drive. “I pretty much heard loud noises, like it was a train passing by and then there was lightning,” he said. “Honestly, the damage was pretty crazy considering it was a low-grade tornado.”
Conclusion
The tornado that touched down in Pico Rivera was a rare and unexpected event for the community. Despite being classified as an EF0, the lowest rating on the tornado scale, it still caused significant damage and disruption to the lives of residents. The community is fortunate that there were no reported injuries, and the city is taking steps to mitigate the risk of future incidents.
FAQs
Q: What time did the tornado touch down in Pico Rivera?
A: The tornado formed around 3:15 a.m. and traveled roughly a mile.
Q: How many homes were damaged in the tornado?
A: Several homes were damaged, but the exact number is not specified.
Q: What was the wind speed of the tornado?
A: The tornado had wind gusts up to 85 mph.
Q: Were there any injuries reported?
A: No, there were no reported injuries.
Q: What is the city doing to respond to the tornado?
A: The city is identifying and removing trees that may be at risk and clearing downed trees from the affected area.
