The National Weather Service Tuesday confirmed that a tornado touched down in Pierce Township around 3 p.m., uprooting massive trees, blocking neighborhood streets, and trapping families, prompting neighbors to grab chainsaws an d clear the roads themselves.People along 10 Mile, Pond Run, and Fagin's Run roads reported seeing tree after tree lying in the road, leading to a home off St. Steff's Run Road where a massive tree was uprooted just hours earlier.WATCH: Here's what residents are saying in response to the storms and the anticipated cleanup Confirmed tornado uproots trees, traps families in Pierce TownshipThe homeowner said his father planted the tree in 1966. He said he was still processing the devastation when he returned home after the storm. He was not home when the tornadoes hit.A second massive tree is also down nearby, with root balls reaching approximately 20 feet in the air.On the nearby Spresser Hill Road, neighbors immediately grabbed chainsaws after the storm passed to clear the road. A family, including a daughter waiting with her grandparents, had been unable to get out. Spresser Hill Road has since been fully cleared. WCPO 9 Meteorologist Mark Stitz said that investigators will examine the direction debris and trees fell to distinguish tornado damage from straight-line wind damage."If you can kind of imagine a wall of wind going towards a forest, all the trees fall in the same direction where the wind was coming from," Stitz said. "But then when you look at tornado damage, whether it's house or trees, vegetation, whatever it may be, you see on one side as you look down the path of that tornado, the trees go down this way, but on the opposite side they're coming down this way."Stitz said the type of trees damaged also helps investigators estimate wind speed."That type of tree takes a 70-mile-per-hour wind to go down, or maybe that type of tree, a little more sturdy, takes a 90 mile per hour," Stitz said. "So you look at the damage, and that's how you estimate how strong the wind was and therefore how strong the tornado was."Tornado confirmed by National Weather Service uproots trees in Pierce Township: Confirmed tornado uproots trees, traps families in Pierce Township neighborhood, National Weather Service saysThe sound of chainsaws echoed through neighborhoods Tuesday evening as neighbors cleared debris by hand and checked on one another.I just feel bad for a lot of people around here, said resident Roman Carmosino. When I turned the corner coming out this way, I wasnt expecting it to be this bad, but it is, and theres nothing I can do about it, so it is what it is. Time to get to work.Carmosino and his fiance had recently purchased their home on Wilson Dunham Hill Road. When he returned after the storm, he found severe damage across the property.Pretty much the top of this tree went completely through the roof, Carmosino said. The block over here where it hit is all smashed in. Theres a huge hole in the roof water got in there all the insulations falling. It got hit pretty good for sure.Even standing in front of a damaged home, Carmosino said hes trying to keep perspective.Theres been so many worse storms, he said.Not far away, his father, Nick Carmosino, described the storm as one of the most intense weather events hes experienced.It was insane, Nick Carmosino said. The tree leaves were going horizontal. We heard the power boxes on the poles blowing up, and then all of a sudden chaos broke out. Trees were falling, limbs were going down, tops of trees were coming out. It was nuts.Despite the destruction, residents say the community's response has been immediate.Theres nothing you can do about it, Roman Carmosino said. You cant go back and not make the storm not come through. I mean youre still alive, youre here.You help each other out, Nick Carmosino added. Thats what you do.County officials said many homeowners dealing with structural damage will likely need to consult engineers before repairs can begin adding another layer of cost and uncertainty as insurance claims are processed.The National Weather Service is expected to release its full assessment within the next couple of days.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less