GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The winds from the storm were strong enough to bend metal posts like tin foil and rip mature trees in half.

“This was the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Gary Hatch, a man who should know. He's the fire chief in Hill's Gate and was in town setting up a fire department expo.

“It sounded like a jet plane inside the building. At one time, it was hard to see 5 feet outside the door,“ said Hatch.

The manager of Camajone’s Mexican Restaurant down the road had to call in his employees when furniture started flying on the patio, and giant parts of the roof came crashing down around them. Rain was flooding in the front door.

“Reminded me like a hurricane. You just couldn’t see. I couldn’t see into the parking lot. I mean, it was just wicked rain and wind blowing at the same time.”

Heather Kagy was surveying the damage at the nearby Pillars apartment complex, trying to figure out who’s car was about to get crushed by a carport that was about to fall over. She watched the storm blow through.

“It looked like almost a sheet of white, almost like sleet coming down. It was coming down so fast and hard. I’ve never been in a tornado but I imagine that’s kind of what it is like. All of the sudden the trees started breaking and rolling down in the street.”