Deaths reported in powerful Florida storms

Looking at some weather boards a quite powerful and long-lasting tornado went through a gigantic retirement community called "The Villages" through Deland and then New Smyrna Beach before entering the Atlantic..

And the damage is likely even worse than the earliest news articles are reporting. Much, much worse than the December tornadoes in the area.

1 posted on 02/02/2007 4:52:08 AM PST by Strategerist

To: Strategerist

If I'm not mistaken, I just saw an ad for the Villages on tv. Supposed to be a very nice community.

May those who perished rest in peace. And as for Freepers and others in the path of these storms/tornados, a prayer for their safety.

2 posted on 02/02/2007 4:58:46 AM PST by fatnotlazy

To: Strategerist

Prayers up!

We rocked & rolled all night here in Tampa Bay. Our power kept going off & on. My daughter is in Orlando. I'm still waiting to hear from her.

3 posted on 02/02/2007 4:59:44 AM PST by tiredoflaundry (Where did I park my car????? Oh no!)

There's another tornado warning just issued for Frostproof further south.

4 posted on 02/02/2007 5:00:10 AM PST by Strategerist

To: Strategerist

We just got our ..'Tornado Warning --Cancelled'.. email from the weather service just now -(when I turned on the computer).....

Otherwise I suppose we wouldn't have known about these storms that mercifully exited into the Atlantic.....we're just now getting thunder, lightning, rain.

We're in Central Florida.

5 posted on 02/02/2007 5:00:27 AM PST by Guenevere (Duncan Hunter for President....2008!)

To: Strategerist

Timing is everything- I'm going to Orlando on business this weekend :-((

Prayers for those caught in this.

6 posted on 02/02/2007 5:01:07 AM PST by Squawk 8888 (Pluto's been marginalized! Call the ACLU!)

To: Strategerist

FNC's headline for the past nearly half hour said "FL Thunderstorms Kill an Unknown Number of People" so watching that sword-like storm cut through the FL radar map was eerie. They did clarify and say that "several" tornadoes have touched down in the middle of the night. They said the worst-affected counties were Lake, Volusia and one other I didn't catch: 20,000 without power in one area. Incomplete info coming in about "a couple of mobile home parks" in the Ladylake area with "significant damage."

7 posted on 02/02/2007 5:04:30 AM PST by cgk (Republicanism didn't make Conservatives a majority. Conservatism made Republicans a majority. [NEWT])

As best I can tell, everything had tornado warnings well in advance.

However my understanding is there are no tornado sirens in FL and it went through in the middle of the night.

8 posted on 02/02/2007 5:04:47 AM PST by Strategerist

To: Strategerist

According to Fox there's wide spread damage with hundreds of home seriously damaged or destroyed.

9 posted on 02/02/2007 5:04:55 AM PST by DB

To: Strategerist

I rode out a storm like this last Feb while in Tampa. I was camping in a tent. It was not fun.

Hope for the best in Central Florida!

10 posted on 02/02/2007 5:05:14 AM PST by Conan the Librarian (The Best in Life is to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and the Dewey Decimal System)

11 posted on 02/02/2007 5:05:40 AM PST by lysie

Oddly a completely revised system for estimating tornado strength, the Enhanced Fujita scale, JUST went into effect across the country today.

12 posted on 02/02/2007 5:06:33 AM PST by Strategerist

To: Guenevere; M Kehoe; oldngray

How about Mkehoe and oldngray? Are they in safe areas?

13 posted on 02/02/2007 5:08:12 AM PST by lysie

14 posted on 02/02/2007 5:08:26 AM PST by tiredoflaundry (Where did I park my car????? Oh no!)

To: Strategerist

There's now a tornado warning in Polk County, issued 7:56 am.

15 posted on 02/02/2007 5:09:39 AM PST by browardchad

Do you know if Palm Harbor is anywhere near where these storms hit? I have a brother there. Thanks.

16 posted on 02/02/2007 5:11:41 AM PST by mccann

To: tiredoflaundry

CNN is showing what looks like a steel frame megachurch that was bascially vaporized.

17 posted on 02/02/2007 5:11:54 AM PST by Strategerist

Palm Harbor isn't anywhere near where the big tornado hit.

18 posted on 02/02/2007 5:13:03 AM PST by Strategerist

To: Strategerist

19 posted on 02/02/2007 5:13:12 AM PST by tiredoflaundry (Where did I park my car????? Oh no!)

Tornado Kills 2; Hundreds Of Homes Damaged In Central Florida

500 Homes In Sumter County Damaged

POSTED: 6:16 am EST February 2, 2007

UPDATED: 8:05 am EST February 2, 2007

At least two people were killed and hundreds of homes were damaged early Friday when a line of thunderstorms moved through Central Florida and produced several possible tornadoes, according to Local 6 News.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that two people were killed when a tornado touched down in the Lady Lake Area.

"We have severe damage in the area of the Sunshine Mobile Home Park, Oak Grove Mobile Home Park and the Lady Lake Mobile Home Park," Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Christie Mysinger. "This area of Lady Lake has been hit very hard by a confirmed tornado. The city of Lady Lake is in a state of emergency as declared by its mayor. And also, the county is in a state of emergency.

Crews were going door to door to search for more possible victims in Lady Lake.

An emergency operations center was opened up in Lake County at the Classic Car Wash located U.S. 27 and 441 in Lady Lake.

A shelter was opened at the North Lake Presbyterian Church, which is located on Rolling Acres Road located behind the Home Depot store in Lady Lake.

Lake County schools remained open Friday with the exception of The Villages Elementary School, officials said.

The names of the victims were not released pending notification of their family, Mysinger said.

500 Homes Damaged

Meanwhile, reports of damage in Lake, Volusia, Seminole, Brevard and Sumter counties appeared to be more extensive than when several tornadoes touched down on Christmas Day in Central Florida.

"To give you some comparison as to what we have been seeing here, this tornado outbreak appears to be much worse than what we saw Christmas Day," Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry said.

Officials are reporting that at least 500 homes were damaged in the Sumter Landing Villages area in Sumter County, Fla., by a possible tornado.

In Volusia County, several homes and businesses were destroyed and utility poles were knocked down in the DeLand area. "I live next to Robin's Radiator and his place was demolished and it is all in front of where I walk in,"Irene Martin said. "I was in my living room with my two dogs and you could see the lightning and you could hear the thunder and the rain and everything. And, it seemed all of the sudden it got very windy and it got very, very quiet and then all of the sudden bam, a big, big explosion. I didn't know what was going on."

Tens of thousands of people in Marion and Sumter counties do not have power Friday, the report said.

There are also reports of massive damage in New Smyrna Beach Friday.

Local 6's Tarik Minor reported that several people were trapped inside of their homes in New Smyrna Beach early Friday.

"We have not heard of any fatalities (in New Smyrna) but we did hear reports of a woman being thrown through her trailer as the winds blew through," Minor said.

A shelter was opened at the James Community Center in New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County at 201 North Myrtle St., according to officials.

DeLand Middle School, Southwestern Middle School and Starke Elementary School were closed Friday due to damage or inaccessible roads.

Also, The Florida Highway Patrol reported that several tractor-trailers overturned at 4:30 a.m. on Interstate 4 in Volusia County, Fla., closing the road in both directions.

20 posted on 02/02/2007 5:14:24 AM PST by cgk (Republicanism didn't make Conservatives a majority. Conservatism made Republicans a majority. [NEWT])

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794