The Canadohta Lake area is picking up the pieces after severe storms left a trail of destruction.

Crisi Williams, a teacher at Union City, was doing yard work with her neighbor when they witnessed a waterspout and flying debris firsthand — an experience unlike anything they'd ever seen.

"Garbage cans were everywhere, my porch furniture all blew off, and the kayaks were knocked off the rack. My neighbor's shed got picked up and dumped out," said Crisi Williams.

"We saw this thing on the lake, like a swirling tornado-looking thing, and she pointed at it just as I did. After that, we watched it go right up on shore. Then we heard what sounded like a transformer blow nearby, and the power went out," said Crisi Williams.

She says they've faced strong storms in the past, but this time, the destruction left her stunned.

"I said to my son, ‘Let’s go downstairs and get in a different room,’ because it was really just the wind — and I’ve never seen anything like it. I couldn’t even see from my house to the one next door; it was just water going sideways," said Crisi Williams.