LINCOLN CITY, Ore. -- The National Weather Service confirmed Saturday that a tornado touched down in Lincoln City around 9 p.m. Friday night.
The tornado blew out windows, split trees and tore one house completely apart. It all started with some nasty weather Friday, including thunder, lightning, high surf and hail. Neighbors said they then spotted a spinning mass out on the ocean.
"It literally came onto the shore and started spinning around," said Courtney Durham, who lives in Lincoln City. "It looked like a dust storm but with water and sand and gravel."
The tornado struck ground and tore through everything in its path.
"As it was traveling through the neighborhood, you could hear bits of glass," Durham said. "But we were so scared that the sound we heard was our hearts pumping in our chest."
Many families took shelter in their homes as the twister ripped through the neighborhood.
The force of the tornado crushed one roof and broke the house apart. Luckily, no one was inside.
"They would not have survived," Durham said.
Jim Jenneke lives next door. The tornado uprooted his deck and slammed it against the side of his house. It also destroyed his shed and sent debris flying across his yard.
"All of a sudden we heard a bit crash of thunder and then the whole house just shook," Jenneke said.
Deputies said the tornado damaged between 20 and 30 homes in all. It also knocked out power.
Many of the homes in the area are summer rentals so most were vacant.
No one was hurt. Despite an extensive clean up ahead, many families here say they feel fortunate Mother Nature's wrath wasn't worse.
"It could have been serious," Jenneke said. "It could have been very serious."
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