© ITV AngliaOne of the destroyed barns on Brook Street Farm
A farmer told how he was forced to hide in a shed while his wife took cover in a nearby workshop as the extreme weather hit Halstead and nearby White Ash Green.
The tornado ripped through Alan and Liz Barrow's farm near Halstead.
Alan's five-year-old Jack Russel, Freddie, who accompanies him everywhere on the farm, survived by hiding under a tractor.
Alan, 55, said: "It was a really terrifying experience.
"It was about 4pm and I was in one of the sheds working when I heard thunder and lightening and a torrential down pour of rain.
"I went outside to have a look at what was going on and a huge gust of wind blew me backwards, lifted me off my feet and knocked me down to the ground.
"It was like a physical blow.
"It rolled me across the ground and I managed to scramble into the workshop for shelter.
"It was over in less than 30 seconds, it came from nowhere and went as quick as it came.
"I never saw it coming, it took the end off the building I was in at the time, so it's a good thing I went out to look."
Alan, whose insurance does not cover the farm for storms, fears the couple will face huge repair bills. The farm has been in Liz's family since 1929.
He said: "I feel very lucky to be here today but the damage caused will cost us about £100,000 to repair.
"If I had got in the way of any of the flying debris though things would have been much worse.
"Two chicken sheds were overturned and about 20 chickens were crushed under them as they came down.
"Afterwards we started to clear the wreckage and we found two trapped under all the debris so we saved them but the majority didn't stand a chance.
"One of our sheds had it's roof completely taken off and there is severe damage to another one and to the grain store.
"It will take months to repair. We don't have storm insurance - you never think you'll get a twister in Essex.
"There are trees, even fully grown oaks ripped out of the ground up on the fields.
"If this had gone through a town or something there is no doubt people would have got hurt, just think of the damage, it would have been awful."
The Essex Weather Centre yesterday (Thurs) warned more storms and heavy rain is forecast - with a small risk of further tornadoes.
Tony Blackwell, 49, from Halstead, was working at his father's construction firm in White Ash Green, when the tornado hit.
He said: "It came right across the front of the house.
"We just stopped and stood watching it go down the street sucking up trees and debris as it went.
"It was just like you see in the films, a proper twister, you could see it twirling around and around and all the stuff in side it being whipped up.
"The base of it must have been about 50 metres right across, it was amazing to see.
"It crossed the street near us and turned to the left and went across the field, we watched it go all the way down the valley until it hit Brook Street farm.
"After it hit the farm it just seemed to vanish into the sky.
"It was so quick there was no time to be frightened.
"You see this sort of thing on the TV and in America but you never expect it to happen on your doorstep - I didn't think they even happened in this country.
"It knocked the power lines down and tore some trees from the parkland next door to us but we got away without any real damage."
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