Social media users shared wild footage of a waterspout destroying everything it touched Thursday on Smith Island, Maryland.
Various videos shared on social media show the unbelievable destruction caused by the waterspout that swept over the island, seeming to destroy everything in its path. One video from Amy and Daniel Somers shows two people watching the waterspout travel along an inlet, barely missing their exact location.
As the spout traveled over the area, it hit land and swept up what looked to be a vehicle or boat with alarming ease. The video shows debris being flung like a plastic bag through a nearby building.
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
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. (RELATED: Watch What Happens When A Huge Avalanche Hits Tourists)
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
Roughly 260 people live on Smith Island, which is made up of three different towns: Rhodes Point, Tylertown and Ewell, according to Insider. “There’s one house that’s completely demolished, several others lost roofs, it ripped out the only two gas pumps on the island at our Exxon station,” Rhodes Point resident Tiffanie Woutila told Insider, noting that boats were “thrown everywhere.”