Microburst takes Bladenboro by storm

A microburst touched down in Bladenboro last night. That's not a tornado, but it still caused enough damage to warrant a big cleanup Tuesday.

A microburst is a collapsing thunderstorm where the top of the storm becomes heavy with water and ice, then it drops.

With little notice, one hit Bladenboro just after 7:00 Monday evening.

The wind speed reached 90 mph and 40 trees fell to the ground. One van was crushed.

"It happened so fast I didn't realize all this had happened. I'm glad no one had their house tore up, except that lady's down the street and I feel really bad for her,” said Sandra Long.

Freida Adams' singlewide sustained the most damage from the burst. She hid under her recliner during the storm.

"It sounded like a train. I got under my recliner to protect myself. It was like a train roaring, a big boom, whoosh,” Frieda said.

The microburst touched down in Bladenboro along Highway 242.

Cleanup is still in progress. Members of the Baptist Men's Group were among the first to lend a hand.

"When there are people in need it's time to be there and help out. We'll be around until it's all cleaned up. The reason we do this is for the love of the Lord of our brother. If they need anything we're going to help out,” said Jerry Beck.

This storm only lasted 5 minutes, but the cleanup will continue for days to come.