“I’m amazed to see anybody got out of this alive”, said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube during a news conference.
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Two tornadoes ripped through central Florida over the weekend, destroying homes across two counties.
Amazingly, the couple’s adult son was able to escape along with four children who were in the home, identified as the couple’s grandchildren, with non-life threatening injuries. At least one home was destroyed and a woman had to be pulled from the wreckage of the home by emergency workers.
According to NWS, three other tornadoes were reported in Sarasota County, although it was not immediately clear whether they were indeed three separate incidents.
About 17,000 residents are without power throughout Sarasota County. The damage is estimated at more than $3 million.
Manatee, Co., Fla. Two people are dead after a suspected tornado touched down in Sarasota, Florida.
The storms could bring damaging wind gusts, and a brief tornado could be spawned.
Gov. Rick Scott is scheduled to tour damaged areas in Siesta Key at 1:45 p.m. The rain also flooded roads on Fort Myers Beach and the Harmony Mobile Home Park in Naples.
The severe weather damaged homes, downed power lines and caused minor flooding, according to Sarasota officials.
The combination of the systems proved deadly, creating the conditions for the high winds that can also spin and spawn tornadoes.
Florida is better known for hurricanes than tornadoes, and while tornadoes aren’t a rare occurrence during this time of year, they are typically most frequent during summer and autumn.
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A tornado watch for central and southern Florida was in effect until 8 a.m. ET Sunday.
