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Sep 8, 2008 8:31 am US/Eastern

Allentown Tornado Causes $1.5 Million In Damage

ALLENTOWN (CBS 3) ― Meteorologists from the National Weather Service have confirmed that a small tornado spawned by the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna damaged a high school and surrounding areas of Allentown.

Strong winds ripped up the roof of Dieruff High School in the eastern part of the city shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday. As a result, officials said the school will be closed Monday and Tuesday

Gary Szatkowski, who is in charge of the weather service's office in Mount Holly, N.J., said Sunday that it was an EF-1 tornado with an estimated top wind speed of 95 mph.

City spokesman Mike Moore says about 50 properties were affected, and the school sustained major damage while eight other properties had minor damage. No injuries were reported.

Forrest Wieder, coordinator of the Lehigh County Hazmat Response Team, says damage is estimated at $1.5 million. Officials are looking into whether the city qualifies for federal disaster relief funding.


(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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