People in Scotts Valley react a day after EF1 tornado touches down on busy street

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Terror and destruction along Mt Hermon Road in Scotts Valley after an EF1 Tornado touched down along a busy shopping plaza Saturday afternoon.

Trees toppled over, branches flew in the air and several cars were damaged. Multiple injuries were also reported, including to a Cal Fire crew member in the area when the tornado touched down.

"I've been here 27 years, and we've never had a tornado in my time here or anything remotely like this," said Captain Jayson Rutherford with Scotts Valley Fire.

Thankfully, no one was killed, but people were left shaken after the horrific event that seemingly came from nowhere.

"I told my wife we dodged a bullet," said Bobby Wolfe of Scotts Valley. "I cannot fully describe how I felt about the strong winds. I just turned 87 years old and I thought that it could be the end of my life. It was that bad.”

Wolfe said the tornado was unimaginable. He tells KION he was able to get back into the shopping center and enter the Chase parking lot to avoid the path of the tornado.

Some witnesses tell KION a white vehicle was thrown about 15 feet into the air before coming to a rest.

"I just think it's we're fortunate that nobody lost their life," said Captain Rutherford. "Especially right before Christmas. I mean, vehicles and property can be replaced and repaired. but nobody's having to grieve the loss of a loved 1 or 2 weeks before Christmas."

The County of Santa Cruz says Scotts Valley is still being cleaned up on Sunday with multiple traffic signals being replaced after the tornado on Saturday.

The last time any type of tornado hit Santa Cruz County was a waterspout back on January 2019 that made landfall along the Santa Cruz Wharf, damaging the pier and former Dolphin Restaurant.

The National Weather Service has not explained why a tornado warning wasn't issued in Scotts Valley for this tornadic event.