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Flagler County officials estimate over 17 million pounds of debris left by EF 1 tornado

EF 1 Tornado in Flagler co. leaves damage

ORLANDO, Fla. — The cleanup continued Sunday after an EF1 tornado hit Flagler County.

“There is significant damage to trees and power lines, as well as some homes,” Flagler County Emergency Management director Jonathan Lord said.

The county estimates that the twister produced over 17 million pounds of debris.

The tornado hit Flagler County Saturday morning, causing major damage to Flagler Beach neighborhoods.

Homeowner Dan Gallagher said he has been through hurricanes Matthew and Irma, but they did not compare to Saturday’s tornado.

“Wind was blowing hard; hard rain, thunder, lightning. A pretty bad storm, and a couple minutes later, it sounded like a freight train coming in the back of the house,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher said it was a chaotic scene.

“I told my wife to hit the ground. (I) took off down the hallway to grab all four of my kids, and then make it back to our room for shelter,” he said.

Live radar: Doppler 9 HD

Homeowner David Witt said the community is rallying behind his family after a large tree limb crashed through his house’s window.

“When I got up, a tree limb blew through the window right there, and then slammed my door in the bedroom. There was glass all over the bedroom. The back door blew off. It was laying in the backyard. I had to go out and grab it,” Witt said.

Witt said he feels lucky his home is still standing because some of his neighbors were not so fortunate.

“This tornado was on the ground 26 minutes and tracked a distance of almost 20 miles … much longer than many tornadoes we track around Central Florida, although, stronger and even longer-lived tornadoes are still possible during the winter months,” WFTV meteorologist George Waldenberger said.

The tornado caused a recreational vehicle to flip over, and felled dozens of trees, with some landing on top of cars and homes.

The National Weather Service said the tornado’s peak winds reached about 110 mph, and that it was about a half-mile wide.

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VIDEO: Drone video shows tornado damage in Flagler County A tornado hit Flagler County Saturday morning, causing major damage to Flagler Beach neighborhoods.


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