Tornado hits Zuid-Holland town; dozens of homes damaged

Dozens of homes in the Zuid-Holland town of 's-Gravenzande were damaged by a tornado on Thursday. Roof tiles were blown off, windows shattered and trees were blown over. The tornado lasted around 25 seconds, according to the Telegraaf.

The tornado happened in the vicinity of Marsmanstraat, also hitting a number of greenhouse companies. No one was injured. According to the fire department, none of the homes were so badly damaged that the residents had to be evacuated. The fire department couldn't say exactly how many homes were damaged, but estimated between 20 and 40. The affected residents were visited by the mayor of Westland, the municipality that covers 's-Gravenzande.

While no one was hurt in the tornado, it did give local residents quite a fright. "The roof tiles flew through the skylight, into my kitchen", resident Jan de Graaf said to the Telegraaf. Shortly after the tornado passed, local residents could be seen cleaning shards of roof tiles and waste off the streets, according to the newspaper. Roofs were also immediately repaired, to minimize the water damage. The fire department assisted in this.

A lot of damage in 's-Gravenzande, Netherlands after a tornado/downburst. 20-40 buildings damaged according to the emergency services pic.twitter.com/YuN3qieIjx

— Meteo-Nederland (@SevereWeather_N) September 14, 2017

Windhoos veroorzaakt grote schade aan tientallen huizen in 's-Gravenzande. Volg alles in ons liveblog: https://t.co/9N7zqYSh7n pic.twitter.com/mPJa1NLGMZ

— Omroep West (@omroepwest) September 14, 2017

De schade in de #Marsmanstraat in #sGravenzande is fors. Brandweer in grote getallen ter plaatse. Ook ambulances in de buurt stand-by. pic.twitter.com/UrItMqY8iM

— District8.net (@RedactieD8) September 14, 2017

Bewoners zijn in weer en wind druk bezig om de dakpannen op te ruimen #'s-gravenzande pic.twitter.com/xmuIYFTOGM

— Gerda Frankenhuis (@gfrankenhuis) September 14, 2017

Bewoners #Marsmanstraat #sGravenzande plaatsen dakpannen terug op dak na #windhoos @omroepwest pic.twitter.com/cvJrXkpkc8

— Dennis Kranenburg (@kranenburg1) September 14, 2017