Two of the storms that moved through Mercer County Sunday afternoon were tornadoes, according to an investigator from the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

The first tornado was classified as an F-0 with wind speeds of up to 72 mph. It touched down in Jefferson Township then dissipated quickly as the storm moved east over the Mercer area at about 40 mph, according to a news release from James R. Thompson, director of the Mercer County Department of Public Safety.

A second tornado, classified as an F-1, with winds reaching up to 105 mph, touched down in Coolspring Township, the release said.

Rich Kane of the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh spent Monday morning surveying the storm damage to determine where the tornadoes touched down and the severity of the storm.

Tornadoes are classified by the National Weather Service as weak, strong or violent. Weak tornadoes account for 69 percent of all tornadoes with winds that reach about 110 mph and last five to 10 minutes.

While investigators spent the morning surveying the damage, residents spent the day trying to clean it up.

Residents in Jackson Center and Jackson, Jefferson, Coolspring and Worth townships were left to contend with downed trees and wires and other debris Monday morning.

Lori Hile and her husband Patrick are in the process of renovating a home at 21 Henderson Road in Jackson Township. The storm blew off the back of the Hile roof, which caused water to pour into their house, Mrs. Hile said. All of the new insulation, ceilings and walls in the house were ruined, she said.

Mrs. Hile set up fans and dehumidifiers to try to dry the water that saturated the floors of the house. "All of our hard work ...," she said.

In addition to the damage to the home, Mrs. Hile said she had to hire help to rid her yard of between 15 to 20 trees that blew over.

David Aites, of 667 Henderson Road, said there was no damage to his home. However, a large pine tree fell over and crushed his van parked nearby. He said he's certain the van is totaled.

Friends and relatives of Aites showed up Monday morning to help cut up and clear away the tree. They also cut up some other trees on his property, Aites said.

The storm didn't last more than five minutes, and Aites said he couldn't see a thing by looking out the window. He said many trees were knocked down in his neighbor's backyard too.

Cable television and power company workers could be found working Monday along most major roadways including U.S. Route 62 and state routes 965 and 173. Parts of those roads were closed Sunday due to downed lines and trees.

County damage assessment teams spent Monday in the areas that saw storm damage, Thompson said. A preliminary assessment showed between 75 to 100 houses had some degree of damage, and a number of other buildings were destroyed, he said.

The Hermitage Volunteer Fire Department sustained at least $60,000 worth of damage from high winds, said Hermitage Fire Marshal Robert S. Goeltz. The damage included a radio tower that was bent in half, a bent satellite dish and flag pole and some roof damage, he said.

Crews are supposed to replace the tower this morning, which could cost $50,000, Goeltz said.

Witnesses told Goeltz a picnic table and construction sign were also blown against an auxiliary building on the grounds. There was also a significant amount of tree damage on the property, which totaled about $10,000, he said.

A 53-foot semi-trailer used for storage behind Hermitage Towne Plaza was flipped onto its side, said Big Lots District Manager Dennis Green. He said the trailer was empty, and he did not have an estimate of the damage.

As of 2 p.m. Monday about 600 Pennsylvania Power Co. customers were without power, Thompson said. Initially, about 8,200 customers lost power.

By early this morning all but eight Penn Power customers had their power restored, said Randy Coleman, area manager for the utility. Those remaining customers without power will probably have service restored later today, he said.

Representatives from local insurance agencies said they had a number of reports, mostly of downed trees.

Erie Insurance in West Middlesex received calls from customers mainly in the Sandy Lake and Stoneboro area mostly concerning trees on houses and garages, a spokesperson said.

A spokesperson from Armstrong Insurance Agency in Mercer said the company received one report of a tree that landed on a garage with a vehicle inside but most claims were minor.

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

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