The scent of pine from downed trees hung in the air around 2204 Sandy Lake-Grove City Road Sunday afternoon as Barbara Snyder spoke to her insurance agent on the telephone.

The Snyder farm was one of many homes in Jackson Township, Jackson Center and surrounding areas that were damaged during strong storms that swept through Mercer County, apparently gathering intensity as they headed east from Hermitage.

At least eight trees were down in the Snyders' front yard, including one that crushed the front porch and broke a storm window. All the animals on the farm, including two horses that were in the pasture, were unharmed, Mrs. Snyder said.

The storm ripped through Jackson Township just after 2 p.m., Mrs. Snyder said. She said she heard the tree hit the house and glass breaking as she huddled in her basement. She said she saw horizontal rain as she looked out a basement window.

Despite the severe damage, as of this morning there was no confirmation of a tornado touching down and no reports of injuries.

A spokesperson from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said there is a "good possibility" there was a tornado and a damage survey of the area is planned for today.

James R. Thompson, director of the Mercer County Department of Public Safety, said in a news release his agency estimates wind speeds reached between 70 and 110 mph in some locations. The storm tracked west to east in a path about a half-mile wide in a "hop, skip and jump type pattern" with the hardest hit areas being Jefferson, Coolspring, Jackson and Worth townships and Jackson Center, Thompson said.

Just down the road from the Snyders, the Bell family was dealing with the chaos as well. Part of the roof and the siding on the back of their century-old home was ripped away, Karen Bell said.

Mrs. Bell said her 9-year-old granddaughter screamed that the storm was going to hit, and the family ran to the basement. She said they heard a lot of wind.

"I thought we just had winds. When we came out (of the basement) I didn't ever expect this," Mrs. Bell said.

In addition to the damage to her home, kennels for small dogs Mrs. Bell raises were damaged. No animals were hurt, but the dogs were roaming freely around the property.

Friends and relatives gathered to help the Bells assess the damage and begin cleaning up debris scattered around their lawn. "My husband has a very big family. I think most of them are here," Mrs. Bell said.

U.S. Route 62 was closed for a several-mile stretch through Jackson Center. Firefighters stationed at the closing points suggested alternate routes to motorists. State routes 965 and 173 were also closed. All roads were open this morning, said Jackson Center Fire Chief Marvin McAfoose.

The chief said many trees and wires were down but there didn't appear to be any major structural damage and no injuries.

As of this morning nearly 600 Pennsylvania Power Co. customers, primarily in Jackson Center and Hendersonville, were still without electricity, said Randy Coleman, the utility's area manager.

During the height of the storm, more than 8,000 Mercer County residents were without power, he said.

"We're no longer talking in terms of yards of how many lines are down -- we're talking miles,'' Coleman said.

Thompson said he estimates 75 to 100 homes were affected by the storm, though most, if not all, were inhabitable. A number of building, barns and garages were destroyed, he said.

Homeowners on Sequoia Road in Lake Latonka were also dealing with fallen trees and power lines Sunday afternoon.

Marcie Schone said her house wasn't damaged but there were many trees down. She said she sent her kids into the hall when the storm hit since they don't have a basement.

Jesse White was visiting Ms. Schone when the storm hit. He said it brought hail, sheets of heavy rain and very strong winds. "I was scared," he said.

"I've never seen winds bend trees over like that; it looked like a typhoon is what it looked like," said Sequoia Road resident David Wise, who was sleeping when the storm blew in. His sister, Debra Wise, said besides downed trees, the ridge vent on her roof was bent.

Pete and Eileen Subotich live next to the Wises. Two pine trees were uprooted and fell on the garage, Subotich said, adding he didn't know if the roof was actually damaged.

Subotich said the sky was very dark and there were high winds and heavy rain but he didn't see a funnel cloud.

"It could have been worse. We could have lost our house," Mrs. Subotich said. Her husband added, "We'll exist."

The Subotiches live in Munhall, Pa., but spend weekends and summers in Lake Latonka. Sunday was the second time in about six weeks that a tree fell on their home, Mrs. Subotich said.

Penn Power's Coleman said this morning, "At this point we're hopeful of having most of the significant damage repaired today. But that's assuming we get good weather today -- good weather is going to be the key.''

Penn Power brought in extra crews from Ashtabula, Salem, Warren and Youngstown in Ohio, along with Zelionople to help restore power. Sharon, Hermitage and Sharpsville also saw spot outages and the storm left hundreds in the Masury and Brookfield without power.

Traffic lights were out for two to three hours at three Hermitage intersections, including state Route 18 and East State Street and the Shenango Valley Freeway and Buhl Farm Drive, Hermitage police said.

A radio tower behind the Hermitage Volunteer Fire Station at Highland Road and North Kerrwood Drive bent in half from the winds and the Hermitage police and fire department had to temporarily reroute their calls through a Sharon frequency, said Deputy Chief Larry Matchak.

According to Robert S. Goeltz, Hermitage fire chief, the storm front seemed to start over Baker Avenue and Woodside and Boyd drives in the city, then took a northeasterly path, knocking down the tower and causing some damage at Hillcrest Memorial Park, the fire station and some school buildings.

Winds were so fierce they caused internal electrical damage in a number of homes, which means it's up to those residents to handle that portion of repairs, Coleman said.

Any residents who are still without power today and have not contacted Penn Power should call (888) 544-4877, Thompson said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Kristen Garrett at kgarrett@sharon-herald.com

Herald Staff Writer Sherris Moreira-Byers and Herald Business Editor Michael Roknick contributed to this story.