Posted on 02/02/2007 4:52:07 AM PST by Strategerist
LADY LAKE, Florida (CNN) -- Deadly storms swept across central Florida on Friday morning, damaging homes, toppling trees and sending trucks careening off Interstate 4, police said.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said there were "several" fatalities in Lady Lake, where at least two mobile home parks were hit. Authorities could not say how many deaths there were.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Here is the report on the last serious outbreak of tornados here...in Feb 1998, during the last BIG El Nino...42 were killed in that storm...which went right OVER my house.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/svr98b.html
I'm sure you're well aware I wasn't referring to more plush mobile home courts where the mobile homes look like real houses with patios and where security is top-notch. Those who live in Florida and get off the main drags to see parts of "hidden" Florida containing trailer parks know what I mean.
Florida is infested with thousands of small trailer parks in the hinterlands or hidden from public view by tourists. Every kind of flimsy trailer can be found in these parks. Many of them are on low ground. Some pretty low representatives of society move in and out of these places.
Some acquaintances of mine live temporarily in one such court. They never let their three little girls out the door of their trailer without one or the other being with them.
Every time there's tornado warnings, they're on their knees with eyes turned upward.
Leni
That describes it well, Leni.
Along the Gulf coast where I live, I frequently read where the mobile home owner/operators are selling the more shoddy, unsafe mobile home property to developers for big bucks.....and poof, there's one less potential tragedy site waiting to happen.
Leni
We got heavy rain and somewhat high winds here about 20 miles north of Orlando beginning around 4 am (it woke me up) and continuing until about 6 am. The tornado first touched down about 30-35 miles north of me at The Villages and appears to have stayed on the ground cutting a swath due east straight through Deland.
There are small towns (like Paisley) in between that got hit hard also. There will be a lot of people who didn't survive this hit. They say that one of the hospitals in Deland is full and they're referring them to Fish Hospital nearby. What a night those poor souls went through.
We had plenty of warning that heavy weather was on the way and because of the fact that it would be coming in from the Gulf side of Florida, there would be a high probability of rotation (tornadic activity). People who live in mobile homes should pay special attention to reports of bad weather coming in from the west side of the state.
This one even damaged / flattened concrete block homes, too, though, so you know it was a very large tornado.
Good to hear so many reports coming in on the thread that people are okay. Stay safe, everyone.
Leni
My best friend and maid of honor, lives in New Symrna Beach and her daughter and grandson live in another residence on the Beach as well.
I can't get them on the phone..How bad is it over there???
sw
OK, I'll get my barf bags ready.
Codes make some of this better but you cannot rely on codes. You have to do your own research and make trade-offs. And you need to prepare. You have to build a safe room.
For some reason a lot of people there have built safe rooms. Don't know why but that is smart.
Oh dear, I have dear friends on Merritt Island.
Merritt Island is good.. just talked to my folks in Titusville .. The storm was south of palm bay .. and north around New Smyrna
Yes...we had snow here last night...but it is already starting to melt.
Snowing and melting here right now........ G_L_O_B_A_L W_A_R_M_I_N_G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like the Volusia County Sheriff. He's advising folks not to wait for the Feds to bail them out. They're taking care of their own.
You can buy a cheap emergency weather radio which will alert you to the problem at all times. I believe Radio Shack has some cheap ones.
He did say that, but he also said FEMA needs to get there and now! And, not wait! Reference to Katrina?
But where's my debit card, loaded with $1,000 ??? !!! Where's my free house, free clothes, free insurance, free food?
I'm almost 50 miles from New Smyrna so I don't have first hand knowledge. From what I've heard, though, they seem to have been spared. I've tried to call several people I know in Volusia county and all I get is an "all circuits busy - try later" response. Wish I could tell you something more.
Question for FL: With an economy larger than some countries', why shouldn't your state pick up the smaller stuff? From what I've seen this morning, this should qualify, but it doesn't sound to me like what happened in December should. Not to mention, FL should be in a better position to know what it needs. Why depend on the Feds unless you absolutely freaking have to.
reporting from woodland blvd, downtown deland (where i live and work):
Unbelievable. Went out this morning to get coffee and donuts, the Dunkin Donuts' building was stripped of all overhangs, signs, etc. Just a naked building. I couldn't get within a hundred yards of it on Woodland because Woodland was blocked by the police. Even worse, buildings around it were smashed and telephone poles snapped in half. The Dunkin Donuts is ~50 yards from the demolished police sub station that they are talking about on national news.
Tons and tons and tons of traffic; Woodland Blvd is 17-92, one of the main 'back ways' to get to Orlando or Daytona and I-95 and I-4 was closed from accidents/water on road.
Got into the office (downtown deland) and thought that was it for DeLand, that it was "just" a block or two destroyed. Heard from an employee about ~500 homes in Lady Lake being destroyed and that New Smyrna was hit real hard as well, though not many details out yet. So I thought we escaped most of it here in DeLand.
Turned on Pipeline net streams from CNN (yes, I know), and watched with disbelief at what happened 5 miles west of where I am sitting. Large areas over that way (right along and just west of St. Johns) are wiped out. Freaking unbelievable. Sirens constantly, they are telling everybody to get off the streets so they can get rescue vehicles through.
Report more in a bit.
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