Gov. Wolf Tours Storm Damage In Montgomery County

HORSHAM, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf was in Horsham and Upper Dublin townships on Friday to tour some of the historic damage left behind by the remnants of Hurricane Ida this week.

Wolf and his team visited impact areas near Hatboro-Horsham High School and the Fort Washington Fire Company. The townships were the epicenter of an EF-2 tornado, confirmed by the National Weather Service's investigation teams, which had peak wind gusts of 130 miles per hour.

The storm ripped the roofs off of numerous structures and left heavy damage to others, including the Upper Dublin police station, township building, and high school.

The tornado, which hit the area Wednesday evening, ran in a line from the southeast to the northwest across both townships.

Three people were killed in Montgomery County during the storm.

“We have a long road ahead of us," Gov. Wolf said in a statement Thursday. "It will take time to complete damage assessments and make assistance and resources available, but we will continue to share information about assistance as it becomes available in the days and weeks ahead. Right now, my administration is continuing to do everything in our power to support local emergency officials as they begin to assess the damage this storm caused in their communities."

The governor has also declared a disaster emergency, allowing state agencies greater financial resources to respond to requests for assistance and recovery.