SUFFOLK -- EMT’s say they train for all kinds of scenarios, but being chased down a highway by an EF3 tornado is not one of them.

A Sentara Medical Transport dashboard camera in Burnett’s Mill captured a similar scene to what EMT Bobbi Greenwood witnessed in her ambulance on Route 58 Monday afternoon.

Video: EMTs recall moments during tornado

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“The tornado swooped across the road behind us,” she said. “You could hear everything hit the truck and front of us.”

Recordings from EMT’s to dispatch show the confusion around 4:15 p.m. Monday, after the twister leveled much of the area around Sentara Obici Hospital.

“Be advised all of Obici is in quite a bit of disarray,” the recording said. “We have cars flipped over all the way to the main office.”
Another ambulance with a patient inside was like other cars stuck on Route 58.

“I need state police en route to Route 10 exit going toward Obici,” the recording said. “We got downed trees and the exit’s all blocked off. We can’t get to Obici. We’re stuck on the on-ramp.”

The medics were among the first to see images now seared into so many minds.

“It was chaotic for 30 minutes,” said Bobby Baker. “Then, everybody settled down and we done what we had to do.”

Many were cut, others bruised. Most, including medics, were questioning their vision.

“You had cars in the sides of buildings, cars stacked on top of each other,” said Barry Utter. “Just, stuff I’d never see, again.”
One of the medics told us people who see the dashcam video of the tornado will think twice about ever riding out a storm in a car.