Campers at Cherrystone Family Camping Resort were on edge Tuesday after a waterspout was sighted in the Chesapeake Bay. Just two weeks ago, a waterspout came ashore and ripped through the campground, killing two people and injuring dozens more.
Just after noon, marine weather spotters reported an area of heavy rain producing a waterspout and strong winds over the Cabbage Patch, an area of the Chesapeake Bay just west of Kiptopeke. The storm was nearly stationary.
As a result, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel completely shut down to all traffic to wait out the hazardous weather.
The CBBT reopened around 1:00 p.m.
Patty Schick and her husband are spending the week at Cherrystone. And for them, the weather was a reminder of what happened just two weeks ago.
"It has been on my mind, just feeling their pain and you realize that people have seen the devastation, the permanent sites that they were so proud of and beautiful when we came up last time, that are devastated," she says.
This week, Schick says they're keeping their cell phones charged in case they need to be alerted of any severe weather.
"We are people who don't keep our phones on us all the time so we have been keeping our phones on, making sure they're charged and that they're with us. And we don't normally do that. We kind of vacation to get away from that," she says.
Another camper, Michael Racine, is grateful today's storm didn't make it to land so that they campground can continue to rebuild and thrive.
"We didn't hesitate. We wanted to come back. We've been coming here for over 20 years," he says. "The campground still needs business so it's always important to come back."
