Following the wreckage left behind by a rare tornado, the city of Montebello rallied Thursday, March 23, to marshal resources to aid those impacted by what scientist said was the strongest twister recorded in the Los Angeles area in 40 years. The city is working to collaborate with L. A. County’s emergency medical services agency, and was seeking funding and resources to assist businesses in repairing the damage, Alex Gillman, Montebello’s public information officer, confirmed Thursday. Montebello’s industrial district on Washington Boulevard and Vail Avenue was visited by the rare landspout tornado on Wednesday morning. The unwelcome guest tore through the roofing of buildings, lifting debris high overhead. Onlookers reported that the loud gusts lifted gas station signs, trash and tree limbs toward the mountains. One person at a private business suffered minor injuries. The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado hit around 11:20 a. m. and estimated the tornado’s peak wind speed was 110 mph, and lasted for three minutes. That made it the strongest recorded in the Los Angeles area since 1983, the National Weather Service announced Thursday. Scientists measure the strength of tornadoes through what is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale. The scale became operational on Feb. 1, 2007, and is used to assign a tornado a ‘rating’ based on estimated wind speeds and related damage, according to the National Weather Service. Wednesday’s Montebello tornado was rated at EF1 on an EF Scale of 0 (“weak”) to 5 (“violent”). At 11 mph, it was at the upper end of EF1, just shy of “strong. ” An EF2 tornado has winds between111 and 136 mph. It was the strongest tornado recorded in the area since an F2 twister in March 1983. The last time an EF1 tornado occurred in the area was in January 1998 in Long Beach. An F0 tornado touched down in Inglewood in December 2014, according to NWS. Forecasters said Wednesday’s twister was 0. 42 miles long and was 50 yards wide, blanketing what is essentially a district of industrial buildings, which definitely felt the brunt. A list of effected businesses is being compiled, but of the 17 effected properties, 11 were red tagged as of this morning. According to Gillman, a task force has been created and met to expedite the permitting and construction activities that will take place on those damaged structures. According to residents, the streets around the epicenter were closed for several hours, and nearby homes and businesses lost power from Washington Boulevard east to Whittier Boulevard, and from Vail Avenue south to Greenwood Avenue. A gas line was severed, fire sprinklers broke, all the skylights shattered and a 5, 000-square-foot (465-square-meter) section of roof was “just gone, ” business owner, Michael Turner said. He added his polyester fiber business, Turner Fiberfill, could be closed for months. All data is taken from the source: http://dailynews.com/ Article Link: https://www.dailynews.com/2023/03/23/montebello-scrambles-to-recover-following-rare-tornado/ #tornado #newsoftheday #newsworldnow #bbcnewsworld #newstodaydonaldtrump #usnewsworldreport#