VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – At the entrance of Broad Bay Point Greens neighborhood on North Great Neck Road, police stopped all cars, only allowing residents and those doing legitimate work to clean up the aftermath of the EF-3 tornado that damaged or destroyed 115 structures.  

From Chopper 10 you could see the Broad Bay Point Greens neighborhood, houses with large sections of roofs gone, siding stripped, trees down, appliances not where they should be, but in the yard. 

And from ground level, it is a multimillion-dollar mess. 

But from the view of city officials, preparation along with the good fortune of having assets already in place due to the Something in the Water festival – and its third-day cancelation due to weather – aided in a quick response to the twister that mangled property, but did not injure or cause loss of life.

Riding with Virginia Beach Police to get a tour of the destruction, the sights of the damage were unreal at house after house, with missing roofs Haversham Close. They did door-to-door searches to determine the extent of the damage.

At a news conference Monday, some referred to what didn’t happen – there were no injuries or deaths reported – as a miracle, given the strength of the tornado. No one was hurt, and there was a benefit to having Something in the Water taking place.

“Because we had so many resources at it, we were able to dedicate our command at the second precinct,” said Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate. “We were able to take these resources over to Cox High School and by the time we got out here, we had officers on the ground with the fire department actively going house-to-house to look for injuries or potential victims, or those that needed immediate assistance, but luckily, as we know, no injures, which is a testament to God.” 

There were lots of references to God today at how it is amazing no one was hurt or injured, especially after the National Weather Service confirmed peak winds at 145 mph. 

But you don’t have to imagine the strength of the winds. You can see it in the damage that was done.  

During the news conference, city leaders lined up behind a podium to talk about the tornado and how it literally altered the way parts of a neighborhood look. 

“Today, Virginia Beach is blessed and thankful after a tragic weather event last night, that we are indeed grateful there was not a loss of life or anyone injured,” said Mayor Bobby Dyer.

Virginia Beach Police are now keeping an eye out for looters.

“We take this as an opportunity because we know when we have events like this, it is an opportunity for victimization,” Neudigate said. “So, for our neighbors in their house, and maybe you live next to someone who had to leave their structure. If you see something, say something because that activity is on our radar.” 

State Attorney General Jason Miyares showed up to get a tour. His home is nearby but it was not damaged.

“It is amazing, divine intervention (that) no one got killed,” Miyares said. “It is extremely powerful. One hundred-plus homes’ roofs were ripped off – first responders were great.”