Closed storm shelter in Mercer County leaves family displaced

The national weather service confirmed a land spout tornado, which was spotted in the New Virginia region of Hermitage in Mercer County. That storm forced families to run for cover, but when a mom and her three children were locked out of a shelter close by, they were left to fend for themselves.

"A funnel cloud formed completely and it started coming right at us and so I just grabbed her, I grabbed my four year old threw her over my shoulder and my seven year old and we just ran. We took off to the shelter," Danielle Prada of Mercer County said.

The shelter is a place to seek refuge in the Forrest Brooke community, but much to Prada's dismay, it was locked.

"I like start shaking the doors and I'm like yelling for help," Prada said.

However, with the storm becoming more aggressive, Prada did the only other thing she could think to do in that moment and that was protect her children.

"I just got on top of them, put them down, got on top of them and I told them goodbye because we literally thought we were gone because the tornado was coming," Prada said.

After the storm broke, a neighbor rushed outside to offer help.

"I hurried up and grabbed the kids and we ran into her house for safety," Prada

Prada's husband was furious to find out his family had been face down on the ground in the thick of the storm, right outside of the locked shelter and he tells 21 News he wants answers

"We're gonna have to eventually talk to the landlord, yes, because something like that can't be let go of," Antonio Nero of Mercer County said. "You should be able to seek shelter which is what we've been told since we lived here and to find out that that's not true, that it wasn't there when we needed it, it's very disturbing," he said.

21 News reached out to the owners of Forrest Brooke and at 6:23pm Wednesday, they responded with a statement that reads:

"Dear Forrest Brooke Residents,

We would like to remind our residents that Forrest Brooke Manufactured Home Community does not have a storm shelter on site, as it is not a requirement for the community. In the event of severe weather or emergencies, the designated storm shelter for our area is located at:

Lackawanna Township Municipal Building

1742 Mercer West Middlesex Road

Mercer, PA 16137

(724) 981-5055

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding their facility, we recommend contacting the township directly for further information.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Below is a helpful hyperlink for you to check out: Red Cross"