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Heavy Storms, Tornado Roll Through Eustis

Posted: 10:37 pm EDT September 20, 2007Updated: 10:58 am EDT September 21, 2007

Severe weather, including a possible tornado, damaged about 50 homes in central Florida, shearing the entire second story off one home, authorities said Friday.

First light showed debris thrown around a six block area of the city's historic district. Power lines were still down Friday morning and crews were working to restore electricity to about 500 customers in the area.


SLIDESHOWS: Aerial View| Downtown Eustis | Lakeview Drive

Dazed and stunned Eustis residents wandered through storm-damaged streets early Friday morning as they surveyed the destruction left behind by what forecasters believe may have been a tornado with winds up to 100mph.

Surveyors from the National Weather Service were scheduled to inspect the damage.

"I got trees down, I got barns down, I got everything down," said Stan Green. "My house is fine. Everything around it got nailed."

Earlier, many had taken cover in bathtubs and closets as heavy storms ripped through the Lake Co. town.

"It was about two minutes… Everything was popping loud… it was just horrifying," said Alice Melendez. She said her home's roof and windows were damaged but she thought she'd be able to remain there overnight.

"All of a sudden we could feel the pressure drop and we gathered in the bathroom. We knew from the sound and the noise there was a lot of damage," said Mark Chapel, who lives on Hillcrest.

"It was a pretty freaky thing," said Matt Chapel, Mark's son.

Video from Eustis showed trees and street signs blown down. Power lines were strewn across roads making it difficult for emergency crews to move around.

Along Lakeview Drive in Eustis, mailboxes and fences were knocked down. Tree limbs were scattered across lawns and streets. A carport was ripped off a house, causing significant roof damage.

Witnesses said it looked like a bomb went off as they surveyed damage left over from the storms.

"It just gave you goose bumps," said one witness as he described listening to windows shatter and a chimney fall at his house. A barn in the backyard was obliterated. A lawn tractor was blown across the yard.

Another homeowner said the back porch had been ripped off his house, all the trees in his yard were uprooted and his car was damaged.

The dark made it hard to tell if a tornado had touched down. Storm victims say they saw debris flying through the air but didn't know if it came from tornado winds or straight-line winds.

There were early reports of several injuries but officials later backed off those. A teenager struck by lightning was being treated at Florida Hospital Waterman in Leesburg. That teen was listed in stable condition early Friday morning. One witness reported seeing an elderly woman taken to the hospital with cuts.

Thunder and lightning pounded northeast Orange, Lake, Marion and Sumter counties throughout the evening. Residents said they saw non-stop lightening and thunder and consistent rain for at least an hour.

Leesburg police said trees were down in that area. Capt. Steve Rockefeller said the city had seen minor flooring along US Highway 27. There were also reports of scattered power outages. However, Rockefeller said, "It doesn't look like we've got serious damage at this point." Earlier in the evening, much of the city was without power. The police department switched to an emergency generator for a short time.

Emergency officials had not had any reports of injuries and area hospitals had not had anyone show up with storm related injuries.

The storms also ripped through The Villages retirement community. There were no immediate reports of damage there and Capt. Rockefeller said Leesburg had not had any mutual aid assistance calls to the area.

Captain Dan Hickey of The Villages Safety Department said a lightning strike had been reported. Initial reports said there had been no fire but fire officials later said it started a small fire at a house on Ridgeway Ct. but it was quickly extinguished. Damage to the house was caused by water but firefighters were able to patch it up and the family will be able to stay in it.

Hickey said fire crews encountered flash flooding in area streets as they surveyed for damage but as of 10:40pm there were no reports of significant damage.

A crew from the National Weather Service will be on site around 8:00am Friday to survey the damage.

Detailed Forecast

Matt Makens
The latest forecast from Severe Weather Center 9 Meteorologist Matt Makens.
Meteorologist Profile

The breezy conditions will stay with us and turn windier as Ida approaches us this week. Ida will move into the northern Gulf of Mexico Monday and Tuesday where she will meet with a cold front diving south, causing her to lose her tropical characteristics, but could still bring strong to severe thunderstorms into our area. What's for sure is this does mean windy conditions, a good chance of rain, followed by cooler weather, and do keep on eye on the forecast for updates to the severity of weather the combined system will bring.

Tonight: Partly cloudy and staying breezy, speeds of 10-20 mph. Early morning temperatures will be in the upper 60s and low 70s.

Monday: Windy conditions, 15-30mph, causing rough seas and dangerous beach conditions. Otherwise, partly cloudy with an isolated shower or thunderstorm. Highs will return to the lower 80s.

3 - Day Forecast
Mon
Cloudy
82
Tue
Chance of Rain
83
Wed
Rain
75
Orange County
The breezy conditions will stay with us and turn windier as Ida approaches us this week. Ida will move into the northern Gulf of Mexico Monday and Tuesday where she will meet with a cold front diving south, causing her to lose her tropical characteristics, but could still bring strong to severe thunderstorms into our area. What's for sure is this does mean windy conditions, a good chance of rain, followed by cooler weather, and do keep on eye on the forecast for updates to the severity of weather the combined system will bring.

Tonight: Partly cloudy and staying breezy, speeds of 10-20 mph. Early morning temperatures will be in the upper 60s and low 70s.

Monday: Windy conditions, 15-30mph, causing rough seas and dangerous beach conditions. Otherwise, partly cloudy with an isolated shower or thunderstorm. Highs will return to the lower 80s.

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