Storms and Tornadoes Rip Through Central Florida Killing 14

 

Florida_tornadoA horrific string of storms and tornadoes hit central Florida last night and today. 14 deaths have been attributed to the storm and hundreds of homes have been destroyed overnight.

See video from the Weather Channel.

The storm went through so many mobile homes that it “looks like a war zone; it’s been totally devastated,” said Ed Nathanson, Lady Lake’s police chief.

An official at the county’s emergency operations center said more than 500 buildings were damaged or destroyed across the county. Some people were still reported to be missing.  
 
Up to 100 homes were damaged in Sumter County, but there were no reports of deaths. Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency for Volusia, Sumter, Lake and Seminole counties. “Our priority today is search and rescue,” Crist told reporters in Tallahassee. via MSNBC

The storms hit overnight and caused extensive damage in the dark while many were still sleeping.

Dozens of mobile homes near Lady Lake were destroyed. Chairs, beds and clothes were strewn about yards, with debris hanging from trees. Some homes were tossed from their foundations, while others had their roofs ripped off.

The storms moved across Sumter and Lake counties around 3:15 a.m., then moved to Volusia County, where more than 100 homes were damaged in New Smyrna Beach and 10 people were transported to hospitals with injuries. A county medical clinic in DeLand was severely damaged.

“The most dangerous tornado scenario is a threat for killer tornadoes at night, and that was the case,” said Dave Sharp, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

“I can say with high confidence that it’s tornado damage. It’s not straight-line wind damage,” Sharp said.

Posted February 2, 2007 by
weather | 6 comments


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  • Comments

    6 Responses to “Storms and Tornadoes Rip Through Central Florida Killing 14”

    1. Miss-Underestimated on February 2nd, 2007 10:57 pm

      Why wouldn’t this town have sirens?

    2. just moma on February 3rd, 2007 11:45 am

      (Thought the math req. for the post was a joke so lost the first post) So here it is again

      You wouldn’t alway hear the sirens at 3 AM and also, if it arrived quickly, the roar of the tornado would wipe out the sounds of the sirens, probably at just the time you woke up hearing the sirens. It sounds like this one sneaked up on them real fast and even if they had warning, where would they go? There are no basements or storm cellars.

      This is a big fear of many with tornadoes.

      Perhaps if it happened earlier in the night or in daytime, they would have had warnings on TV. radio and just by seeing the cloud formations in daylight.

      Mobile homes in tornado and hurricane areas should have a mandatory state law to have lots of tie downs.. although they might not have helped. FEMA put in cradles under the some trailers, if the owners requested them after the last major earthquake in LA about 13 yrs ago last month.

      Most killed in trailers, if not blown away are impalled (sp) from the metal piers underneath coming up through the floor when the trailer drops or moves greatly off its piers. Some have light foundations around the outside, some don’t. Some are on piers only and some have piers and wheels… neither of which are really helpful in a tornado.

      This is one of the reasons I crenge everytime I see a FEMA trailer in hurricane country and no tie downs.

      From a tornado and earthquake been there, done that person not wishing to do it again.

      It’s so sad and even sadder that they may never find all of them. God Bless all.

    3. just moma on February 3rd, 2007 11:51 am

      Thought the math question was a joke so it didn’t post, then it said it did after I did the math and now it doesn’t show the post… so maybe this try will work!

      You wouldn’t alway hear the sirens at 3 AM and also, if it arrived quickly, the roar of the tornado would wipe out the sounds of the sirens, probably at just the time you woke up hearing the sirens. It sounds like this one sneaked up on them real fast and even if they had warning, where would they go? There are no basements or storm cellars.

      This is a big fear of many with tornadoes.

      Perhaps if it happened earlier in the night or in daytime, they would have had warnings on TV. radio and just by seeing the cloud formations in daylight.

      Mobile homes in tornado and hurricane areas should have a mandatory state law to have lots of tie downs.. although they might not have helped. FEMA put in cradles under the some trailers, if the owners requested them after the last major earthquake in LA about 13 yrs ago last month.

      Most killed in trailers, if not blown away are impalled (sp) from the metal piers underneath coming up through the floor when the trailer drops or moves greatly off its piers. Some have light foundations around the outside, some don’t. Some are on piers only and some have piers and wheels… neither of which are really helpful in a tornado.

      This is one of the reasons I crenge everytime I see a FEMA trailer in hurricane country and no tie downs.

      From a tornado and earthquake been there, done that person not wishing to do it again.

      It’s so sad and even sadder that they may never find all of them. God Bless all.

    4. Richard on February 3rd, 2007 1:57 pm

      We just announced that we are tripling our foreign aid to Lebanon … wonder what kind of deal Florida can expect?

    5. Big Lou on February 3rd, 2007 5:05 pm

      Richard: Great Question. We help everyone but our own.

    6. nobodie on February 7th, 2007 5:08 pm

      that sucks for you guys you should have been prepared

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