21 Homes Damaged By Tornado In Denair

STANISLAUS COUNTY (CBS/AP) - A tornado that swept through a Northern California town damaged 21 homes — in the worst case shifting one on its foundation.

Sgt. Anthony Bejaran of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office said Monday that the damage was either caused by the tornado itself or fallen trees. One home caught fire and was filled with smoke.

Nobody was hurt in Sunday afternoon's tornado. It traveled down a street in the community of Denair, near Modesto.

He says a large tree fell on a second home, destroying the roof; several cars were damaged, and sheds were carried from one yard into the next.

Bejaran says there's no estimate on the cost of damages.

Eric Kurth of the National Weather Service in Sacramento says wind speeds in the EF-1 tornado surpassed 110 mph.

Officials say work crews are cleaning up debris blown into city streets.

"I thought it looked like a ton of birds flying around in all actuality it was debris," Sabina Woodard said.

That's what Woodard noticed outside her window just before 2 p.m. Sunday. Her husband came in to take a look.

"He said my God he says that's a tornado," Woodard said.

She and her husband took cover and listened to the windows buckle.

"Pretty soon we started seeing things flyer in the house. Everything was in slow motion," Woodard said.

Their garage was ripped off and a barn demolished – their El Camino now sitting underneath.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office says it began fielding 911 calls of residents reporting funnel clouds and tornadoes touching down.

"This is absolutely rare for Stanislaus County," said Sgt. Anthony Bejaran with the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies and firefighters who responded found that trees had been uprooted, homes had shingles ripped off and a downtown church had suffered significant damage.

As residents pick up the pieces, everyone is glad to be safe - not something Sabina Woodard imagined when the tornado hit.

"I kind of thought, 'Wow, this is the end.' I was waiting for the house to lift up and go with us in it," Woodard said.

Residents are grateful no one was injured. Crews worked through the night to restore power. A temporary shelter was opened at the elementary school.