Crews assess damage from Washington state tornado
AP
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Residents and emergency personnel on Harris Road in Port Orchard, Wash., on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, after a tornado touched down. A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, damaging several homes and toppling trees, authorities said. (Photo: AP)

A National Weather Service storm damage survey team is heading to a town west of Seattle where a strong tornado blew through a neighborhood.

The rare twister touched down Tuesday in Port Orchard, Washington. It damaged several homes and toppled trees.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The National Weather Service crew will determine just how powerful the storm was.

The Kitsap County sheriff’s office told local media the damage was “catastrophic” and contained to neighborhoods east and south of a Walmart in Port Orchard.

The sheriff’s office says power lines were down and roads were closed in the area.

About 50 buildings were affected.

Port Orchard is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Seattle, across Puget Sound on the Kitsap Peninsula.