SAN JUAN COUNTY, Utah — A tornado swept through San Juan County Saturday afternoon, destroying homes, trailers, and even a hay barn.
The National Weather Service said Sunday that it will take more time to confirm the strength and full path of the storm. They added that crews are surveying the area for damage in the coming days.
“As far as like the Four Corners are concerned, since about 1950, there’s only been less than half a dozen tornadoes in that area. So, this was kind of a rare event for them," said Kris Sanders, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “It was not a weak tornado.”
NWS reported that the tornado was first spotted about 22 miles southeast of Blanding at 10 miles per hour around 1:12 p.m. Utah Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said 15 to 20 homes were in the path of the storm, three of them destroyed.
"It was about an hour in that the storm was producing tornadoes," Sanders said. "It might have produced two in its life span that we know of."
WATCH: Video compilation of tornado in San Juan County
While tornadoes are unusual in Utah, the American Red Cross says families should treat this as a wake-up call.
"Things like this can often times create fear, and what would we do? We want to make sure that preparedness will often drive away fear," said Benjamin Donner, the executive director of the American Red Cross over Central and Southern Utah.
The American Red Cross is helping anyone who needs emergency shelter. The local Chapter House is helping displaced residents to find hotel accommodations. No injuries have been reported.
“In a construction home, we want to find the lowest place in the home — preferably without windows," Donner said. "So, oftentimes that maybe a basement; it can be a room in the center of a house.”
Donner suggests that people download the American Red Cross' free emergency app to get notifications for warning signs in the future.
“Use this as a teaching moment to say, 'If something were to happen, what would we do?'" Donner explained.
WATCH: Video shows funnel cloud connecting between the sky and ground (via Justin Hopkins)
