20:00 Hours, Wednesday, June 4, 2008: A line of severe thunderstorms that moved through Sussex County this afternoon has caused damage to a mobile home park near Georgetown, Del., where dozens of trees have been felled, some into homes.

Sussex County officials along with crews from the Georgetown Fire Co. are on the scene at this hour evaluating damage to the Sandhill Mobile Home Park off Sand Hill Road, just northeast of Georgetown in central Sussex County.

Multiple trees have been twisted, uprooted, sheared and knocked over, some into at least a half-dozen homes and automobiles in and around the park. It is not clear what kind of storm activity caused the damage.

“There is quite a bit of damage, but luckily we have no reports of injuries at this time,” said County Administrator David B. Baker. “Right now, we’re trying to assess the damage to get a better idea of what happened and how many properties are affected.”

The storms have also caused widespread power outages throughout the county, according to Delmarva Power and the Delaware Electric Cooperative. Crews are working to restore service to the affected customers.

The storms moved through the region between 4 and 5:45 p.m. today, bringing with them heavy rain, strong winds and frequent lighting. The Emergency Operations Center dispatched fire and ambulance crews to nearly 50 calls during the height of the storm.

More storms are moving into the region this evening, and could bring with them further severe conditions, EOC Director Joseph Thomas said. “The public should remain on guard as we move into the evening and overnight hours,” Mr. Thomas said.

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