Damage from possible tornado on Rhone River Drive in Elk Grove, Oct. 22, 2012
ELK GROVE- A funnel cloud, possibly a tornado, left a trail of debris throughout parts of Elk Grove Monday evening.
It was nothing that people ever heard or felt before.
"It was really really loud. Really loud," said resident Terrie Miles. "This is like beyond anything that you'd imagine."
As the funnel cloud swept through the Elk Grove area, some people feared for their lives.
"I heard all this noise. I fell on the floor. I didn't know if it was an earthquake...It was really scary," said one resident.
18 year old Valerie Cervantes said, "I was like standing in one place freaking out."
Home video of the funnel cloud shows a long gray column stretching down as it flies over the homes and businesses.
"It was probably six to eight stories high," said Miles.
On Roan Ranch Circle, trees limbs snapped. Trees were also ripped right out of the ground. Fences were blown over. Windows in dozens of homes shattered.
The fierce wind ripped tiles from rooftops. It peeled back the roof of the International Paper company leaving a gaping 20 by 50-foot hole. 50 employees were inside the business when it happened. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The wind was so ferocious at one point it even tipped over a semi trailer. Lawns and streets were littered with debris.
"I had seen all the stuff flying in the air. When I tried to open the door, there was so much pressure I couldn't even open the front door," said resident William Huntley.
For some residents, it almost felt like something right out of the Wizard of Oz. Omar Maldonado described what he thought would happen next with the funnel cloud. He said, "that it would pick up the house."
By Suzanne Phan, sphan@news10.net
Twitter: @suzannephan
News10/KXTV