POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A golf course condo complex in Polk County was ripped apart by a tornado Thursday night. The strong storms left a path of destruction in Haines City.
Friday, officials with the National Weather Service confirmed it was an F-1 tornado. It damaged at least 28 condominiums at the Grenelefe Resort on SR-546 ( see map ) in Haines City Thursday night.
AT THE SCENE: Tornado Rips Through Condo Complex VIDEO REPORT: 28 Condos Ripped Apart
Firefighters worked overnight to make sure no victims were trapped in the debris after one building's roof was completely ripped off.
Approximately 40 to 50 people had to be evacuated from their homes Thursday night as roofs were blown off by the strong winds. Fire rescue crews showed Eyewitness News crews what they say was the tornado's path of destruction. Broken concrete, snapped tree limbs and furniture littered the ground.
"What's it look like for you in there?" WFTV reporter Steve Barrett asked.
"Not good. Everything smashed up in your life, its just all glass and everything's down," resident Judith Farrell said.
"But you're still smiling?" Barrett asked.
"Oh yeah, we're alive," she replied.
Judith Farrell will never forget Thursday night when closing up her condo during a storm wouldn't do any good.
"You heard a boom and that was it," she said.
Judith's husband, Gib Farrell, is the only official injury from the tornado that damaged 28 condos southwest of Poinciana.
"Just a few cuts and bruises and that sort of thing, other than that we're blessed," Gib said.
"You're place looks pretty rough, eh?" Barrett asked.
"Oh, the place is a disaster," he replied.
The F-1 tornado cut a narrow path of destruction for more than a mile, with 95 mile per hour winds, which is equivalent to a category one hurricane.
"As we came down the 9th fairway, you could see the total devastation. The trees are all knocked down and the roofs are all knocked down. They're lucky, nobody got hurt and thank God everybody got out alright," resident Tony Freels said.
The American Red Cross says they helped 50 residents find other places to stay Thursday night, many of them will not be able to return home until repairs are made.
The tornado was part of a storm system that caused flooding in other parts of Central Florida on Thursday.
WFTV
