Distillery

“It Looked Like It Was Going to Hit the House”: Ridgeway Man Watches Tornado Tear Through Property

MARTINSVILLE , Va. — Steve Barbour says he watched a tornado come frighteningly close to his home near Spencer Preston Road, leaving behind significant damage and heartbreak.

Barbour said the tornado appeared to be headed directly toward the house.

“It looked like it was going to hit the house, but God shot the tree away and spun it away from him and lifted back up and hit his truck,” Barbour said.

The tornado passed just feet from where Barbour was located, according to his account.

“Heartbroken right now,” Barbour said. “Literally watched a tornado come through 15 feet from us and took out everything.”

Barbour said he has rented an Airbnb to get him through as he works to deal with the aftermath.

What was once a home and property has now become a cleanup site, with Barbour left trying to process what happened and figure out what comes next.

“It all happened so fast,” Barbour said, describing the terrifying moments as the tornado moved through the area - the National Weather Service has not confirmed it was a actual tornado

Original Facebook source: Open post

Source note: Star News TV · Aug 15, 2026 7:21 PM.