The brief but powerful thunderstorm knocked down trees and flooded roads in some areas.
One tree came crashing down on the Femminella family mini-van. The same tree also took down their dog run and damaged the pool. Thankfully, none of the 60 party guests here at the time was seriously hurt.
"I was sad that my birthday wasn't very good," Brandon Reyes said.
This was not how Reyes was supposed to celebrate his 9th birthday today - Home from school, surveying the damage to his family's property on Grace Street in /*Dover*/. His mother was just diagnosed with a degenerative spine disease and now this..
"I just keep crying and thinking about how I lost everything, and that's it," Michelle Femminella said, crying.
Sunday afternoon, Michelle was hosting Brandon's birthday party for 60 friends and family members, complete with a clown, the Hulk, and an inflatable water slide. Then around 5, the sunny sky began to cloud over.
"There started to be a lot of wind, sky got black, tables and food were flying and going everywhere." Brandon Reyes said.
"All of a sudden, everything went crazy and the wind picked up and people were crying," Femminella said.
The strong wind toppled a tree in the side yard, which crushed Michelle's brother's black Pontiac that he had just parked 5 minutes earlier. Another wind gust picked up the metal frame of a rented tent and sent it flying into Brandon's grandpa and cutting his face.
The party guests rushed inside to escape the severe winds and rain. More trees in the yard snapped like matchsticks, destroying their mini-van, another car, and their dog run. Other trees in Dover were toppled too, but nothing like this.
Today the family is assessing the damage, but still finding time for cake, and another, less frightening celebration for Brandon.
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