Money News

Severe Storms Strike Central Florida, Killing 14

Severe thunderstorms, and possibly tornados, ripped through central Florida early today, killing at least 14 people and tearing up houses, trees and power lines and blowing tractor-trailers off Interstate 4.

The Lake County spokesman, Christopher Patton, confirmed the death toll, according to The Associated Press, but state officials declined to do so, saying they were awaiting reports from county medical examiners and concentrating on assisting survivors.Two Lake County high school students were among the dead, said Anna Cowin, the county’s school superintendent in a televised news conference. Another student was orphaned when both parents were killed, she said, adding that the student was the only survivor of a family of four. Other students remain hospitalized, she added.

Dozens of people were hospitalized, and 20,000 customers were said to be without power. Interstate 4 was shut down for several hours, before being reopened.

Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency for Lake, Sumter, Volusia and Seminole Counties and said “our priority today is search and rescue.”

Emergency officials appealed for people to stay out of the area and off nearby roads to avoid hampering rescue efforts. Craig Fugate, the state’s director of emergency management, said power failures had knocked out traffic signals, making driving in the area especially dangerous.

Ben Nelson, the state meteorologist, said the storm developed on Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico and described it as a “rotating thunderstorm” rather than a tornado.

The main section of the storm reached I-4 about 4 a.m., officials said, flipping five trucks, including one that was lifted into the air and crashed into another truck, pinning the driver of that vehicle inside the cab.

The city of Lady Lake in Lake County was one of the hardest hit, and emergency crews were searching the area as daylight broke, seeking additional victims or survivors.

Pictures of the area showed parts of houses in the tops of trees, with siding and other materials dangling from power lines. Because so much of the areas housing in uninhabitable, state and county officials were working with churches and other institutions to open emergency shelters for the displaced.

The storms flattened the Sunshine Mobile Home Park and Lady Lake Mobile Home Park, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s spokesman, Sgt. Christie Mysinger.

She said there had been reports of several deaths in the DeLand area in Volusia County.

The home was demolished, despite a reinforced concrete structure that was designed to withstand winds of 150 miles an hour.

Gallery

Mobile and manufactured house were heavily damaged in Lake, Sumter, Volusia and Marion Counties, with television images showing roofs ripped off some structures and others entirely demolished. Conventionally built houses also suffered damage.

Officials opened emergency shelters in the affected areas to house displaced people.

The storms were expected to move east and south later today, and the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Orange and Seminole Counties.

Officials said that 30 people were taken to hospitals from The Villages community which is located in Lake, Sumter and Marion Counties.

Tag: storm, florida, disaster, thunder, tornado, medical, news