Gusting winds hit coastal Delaware on Friday, with video showing dozens of beach umbrellas getting blown off the sand and swirling through the air.
Beachgoer Shane Mannix captured video at Bethany Beach as rain and winds swept the coast.
Visitors can be seen fleeing the beach as the gusting winds lift umbrellas out of the ground and into the ocean. One social media user described the scene as “downright apocalyptic-looking.”
According to witnesses, the severe weather appeared to pop up out of nowhere.
Bethany Beach is a small coastal town in Sussex County. With a population of around just over 1,000, the summer months bring in some 15,000 visitors to its shores.
The severe weather came a day after witnesses captured footage of a waterspout slamming into Smith Island off the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
That video, taken by Amy and Daniel Somers, shows debris flying in the air as the waterspout approached land.
Bethany Beach is a small coastal town in Delaware’s Sussex County.Twitter/@hbcarter
Significant damage to structures and properties has been reported on Smith Island, but there was no immediate word on any injuries to residents of the small island.
Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.
A young California bank executive has been identified as the third person killed in a freak caught-on-camera lightning strike near the White House last week.
Brooks Lambertson, a 29-year-old Los Angeles-based vice president at City National Bank, was identified by DC police as the third fatality from Thursday night’s strike that also left a fourth person in critical condition.
He was killed alongside James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, childhood sweethearts from Wisconsin who were in the capital celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary.
All four had been in Lafayette Park — yards from the White House fence — when cameras caught a huge bolt striking a tree they were near.
City National Bank said Sunday that it was “devastated to learn of the sudden death of one of our colleagues.”
“Brooks was an incredible young man who will be remembered for his generosity, kindness and unwavering positivity,” the bank said.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with his loving family, his many friends and our colleagues. His joyful spirit will live on in our hearts, ”the bank said.
Brooks Lambertson, a 29-year-old bank executive from Los Angeles, was identified as the third person killing in a lightning strike near the White House last week.Facebook/KCRAThe lightning strike at Lafayette Park killed three people and left one other injured.REUTERS
The news sparked tributes for Lambertson, who previously worked as a marketing manager for the LA Clippers and was in DC for business when he was struck.
“He was a joy to work with and a wonderful colleague!” one shocked staffer said, while another wrote about how they “loved working with him.”
Brooks always lit up the room with his million-dollar smile,” that colleague wrote, while another praised his “generosity” and “kindness and unwavering” positive energy.
The fourth person, an unidentified woman, was listed in critical condition on Friday, the police department said. There was no immediate update early Sunday.
Lambertson was in DC on a business trip.@dcfireems via APWisconsin couple James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, were also killed in the lightning strike.Facebook/WISN 12 NEWS
Secret Service officers had been among the first to respond to the tragedy and offer first aid, officials announced last week.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration was “saddened by the tragic loss of life.”
“This is the people’s house. It should be a place all can see,” she said.
A husband and wife from Wisconsin celebrating more than five decades of marriage were killed in a lightning strike outside the White House. A third victim was pronounced dead Friday evening, and one other is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
James Mueller, 76, and Donna Mueller, 75, of Janesville, Wisconsin, died of their injuries after the lightning strike Thursday in Lafayette Park, located directly outside the White House complex, the Metropolitan Police Department said Friday.
A third victim, a 29-year-old adult male, was pronounced dead Friday. The fourth person, a woman, was in critical condition, the police department said. Their identities were not immediately released.
Authorities did not reveal how the people were injured, other than to say they were critically hurt in the lightning strike.
The Muellers were on a trip to Washington, DC, to celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary, according to their niece, Michelle McNett of Janesville.
A lightning strike hits a tree in Lafayette Park across from the White House, killing three people and injuring one person on August 4, 2022 in Washington.REUTERS
“They were a very loving couple,” McNett told the Wisconsin State Journal. “They were very, very family oriented. I think everyone’s just in shock right now and kind of request privacy.”
The couple had five children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, she told the paper.
Donna Mueller was a teacher and in retirement worked at the Comfort Shoppe, a local furniture store. Jim, 76, was a retired contractor who had his own drywall business.
McNett said she’s not sure why the couple picked the nation’s capital for their vacation, but added that “Donna was a constant learner.”
A Secret Service officer patrols Lafayette Park near the White House in Washington, DC after a lightning strike killed three people on August 4, 2022.Bryan Olin Dozier/NurPhoto/Shutt
The husband and wife, according to their childhood, loved having gatherings and just had a big family gathering a couple of weeks ago.
“They were very religious,” she said. “Just the kind of people who would give the shirt off their back to do anything for you, both of them.”
Officers with the Secret Service and the US Park Police witnessed the lightning strike Thursday night and ran over to render first aid, officials said. Emergency medical crews were called to the scene just before 7 pm and had transported all of the victims to the hospital with “critical, life-threatening injuries,” fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said.
“We are saddened by the tragic loss of life after the lightning strike in Lafayette Park,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones, and we are praying for those still fighting for their lives.”
