Storms damage Manassas-area homes, airport hangar
For employees at Colgan Air Inc. at Manassas Regional Airport, about 35 sheets of plywood served as a makeshift roof after the old one was carried away by high winds.
And the family of Roger Zavadoski, who lives at 9500 Natchez Trail Court, was still shaken by a lightning bolt that sent electrical sparks flying through upstairs hallways, but left little visible damage.
Storms brought lightning and heavy rain to Northern Virginia before heading into Maryland and up toward Baltimore. The National Weather Service recorded 3 inches of rain in Leesburg, and almost 2.5 inches at Washington-Dulles International Airport.
The damage at the airport left Manassas Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-29th District, cleaning out his office Tuesday.
“I was able to get everything out. Fortunately, the water came in the front. And all my Bibles were in the back. So I didn’t lose any of my correspondence,” Colgan said.
Employees at Colgan Air heard an incredible noise at about 7 p.m. on Monday night, according to Mary Finnigan, company vice president. It was the sound of the wind blowing the roof off of the company’s hanger.
“It probably scared them more than anything,” Finnigan said.
A contractor on call with the company worked through the night to cover the torn roof. The company’s insurance will cover the damage, Finnigan said. But an assessment has yet to be made.
On Tuesday, Pete and Betty Anastasi of 9253 Longstreet Court found themselves moving out of their home of 38 years; a bolt of lightning set their home ablaze the night before.
The Anastasis were finishing a Memorial Day dinner at the home of one of their children when the Manassas Volunteer Fire Co. called to tell them that their home was on fire.
A lightning bolt left a gaping hole in their roof, an attic gutted by fire and water damage throughout the lower level of the house. The couple is still waiting for an appraisal of the damage.
Pete Anastasi said he and his wife plan to return to their home because they love the neighborhood and proximity of their house to Trinity Episcopal. He mused on a cruise vacation he and his wife had taken a few months before.
“You take the bitter with the sweet in this world,” he said.