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Campbelltown Tornado Remembered
07/14/09 5:58 pm   |   reporter: Dennis Buterbaugh   producer: Myles Snyder
abc27 News - Campbelltown Tornado Remembered
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Campbelltown, Pa. - The tornado that touched down in Campbelltown, Lebanon County five years ago packed winds of up to 200 miles-per-hour. The people there will never forget it.

"I kept looking out the window," said nine-year-old Megan Quigley. "All I saw was the really gray wind and everything flying around."

Megan was only four then, but she remembers the tornado that destroyed three dozen homes. Since then, July 14 is a special day for the Quigley family. They wear specially-made T-shirts and take the day off from work.

"We always take it off and do something special with the family and count our blessings," said Megan's father, Pat Quigley.

No one in their family was hurt.  Next door, homes were leveled.

"I knew the girls and my mom were home and I just closed my eyes and said I can't believe this is happening. God, let them be OK," Pat Quigley said.

Just down the street, the Lenington's home was blown apart. Jody Lenington was critically injured. Her husband Jerry went straight to Penn State Hershey Medical Center from work and was waiting for an update from doctors.

"I'm watching the nightly news on TV and they're talking about the Campbelltown tornado," said Jerry Lenington. "They're talking about this one person that's critically injured and I thought to myself, I feel bad for that person and I wonder who that is? And here it was actually my wife."

Jerry said his wife survived because of neighbors and the doctors.

"I never publicly had a chance to say thank you to those people and I never publicly had a chance to thank the med center for saving her life," he said.

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