Unbelieveable Morning for Floridians.

[AFT_LOVER]

and I do hope all our fellow cruisers are OK as a tornado ripped through Volusia & Lake counties at 4AM. The stories of a mom & 2 tots in the bathtub with a twin mattress over them. Their house is gone & there they were safe as the neighbor peeled off the matress.

 

The videos coming from copters & news footage from vans of totally flat neighborhoods. Looks like a bomb went off as stuff is blocks away. 14 dead so far. But people were asleep & never knew what hit them..........

 

RIP to those dears, many elderly in mobile homes.

[Earthbound]

That's horrible. Obviously I care about the dead and please don't think that I am insensitive, but is this storm going to effect the Super Bowl or any cruise lines leaving this weekend? I am not exactly sure where the storm occured and my Florida geography isn't the best. Thanks.

[lvtotrvl1]

I heard rumors it hit the Villages...do you know if this is true...I know it was very close, but have many friends in the Villages and can't reach them. Thank you for your information.

[csk]

we are in Daytona, and have heard it did hit some of the Villages, most of the most serious damage is mobile home parks, in Lake Mary and Deland, not near Miami, lot of electricity and phone service out, our prayers to each and everything family, weather here in Daytona is beautiful today, strange how close you and be and how different 60 or so miles make. A sad day for everyone here in Florida

[WindinmySails]

Devestation looks unbelieveable in photos. What sad news. Florida really seems to get slammed with such bad weather so often. Prayers go out to families effected.

[elleluv]

I heard rumors it hit the Villages...do you know if this is true...I know it was very close, but have many friends in the Villages and can't reach them. Thank you for your information.

 

 

We're in an RV at Patrick AFB (near Cocoa Beach) and did hear this morning that it hit the Southern part of The Villages... There are a lot of phone lines down this morning though, so I would actually be surprised if you could get a hold of your friends.

 

There were very high winds all last night here, we actually brought the slide-out in our RV in because the wind sounded like it was going to rip the awning right off the slide-out. We're feeling very fortunate this morning that the worst of it missed us... An RV park is not the safest place to be when tornados hit.

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.

[lvtotrvl1]

Thank you for your updates...

[Browneyez]

My MIL is in Lake Helen and 2 miles from her house the Volusia County Fair Grounds was demolished. My MIL is fine....thank goodness. Deland got it pretty bad also

[nanfromatlanta]

I heard rumors it hit the Villages...do you know if this is true...I know it was very close, but have many friends in the Villages and can't reach them. Thank you for your information.

 

Yes, unfortunately, many homes in The Villages have been flattened or damaged. My mother just sold her house there last year. We still can not reach any of our friends.

[AFT_LOVER]

The Villages was hit, Lady Lake was another city wiped out. Fox had the Govenor on who states 4 counties: Seminole, Sumter, Lake & Volusia were hit & much of it is scrape. They need homes for the people as the hotels, schools churches were also blown apart. Then he freaks me out with his statement that folks are just getting payments of 2004 hurricane. Rt 4 is closed with debri, semis, and other vehicles including boats block it.

 

Weather Channel states 4 tornadoes may be the cause. Major West winds teamed with South caused this. Then they had a lady in tears as she walks her yard & is interviewed. She was asleep with her mother of 90 in the room next to hers. Now a 100 year old tree came through he roof & she was seeing rain, lightening & hearing a freight train as she woke up. Her & mom are fine but house is half gone under the tree.

 

NW of Orlando according to their map is the best I can ID.

I heard rumors it hit the Villages...do you know if this is true...I know it was very close, but have many friends in the Villages and can't reach them. Thank you for your information.

[EggDropErin]

My thoughts are with everyone also.

[CoronaCpl]

There were very high winds all last night here, we actually brought the slide-out in our RV in because the wind sounded like it was going to rip the awning right off the slide-out. We're feeling very fortunate this morning that the worst of it missed us... An RV park is not the safest place to be when tornados hit.

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.

 

My inlaws are fulltime motorhome types. They usually spend winters near Merritt Island (Port Canaveral area) and are always fearful of these powerful storms. Glad to hear you all pulled through it unscathed! Others apparently were not as fortunate. We'll hold them in our prayers as well.

[katiel53]

We live outside Orlando and were fortunate to only have bad rain. Lady Lake, Deland and The Villages were hit. So many people are without homes. It breaks my heart to hear of all the devastation.

 

The one thing that has me more upset, is that rescue workers in many areas are not able to get thru because some dumb people are riding around taking pictures. They weren't hurt or anything, just nosey. That makes me sick. The TV and radio are asking people to stay off the road, but these jerks feel they need to see the damage in person. How totally inconsiderate.

 

Sorry, I had to vent because there are people dead and these others have no thought of rescuers or anything but themselves.

 

Katie

[Cathomas]

I live in St. Cloud and it was rather bad this morning, but not as bad as the other places. If people remember back in 1999 a tornado came through the Kissimmee area and did a lot of the same damage. People always talk about hurricanes here, but tornados there is no way to plan and this is the second time in 7 seven years one has hit the Central Florida area in the middle of the night.

[Cathomas]

We live outside Orlando and were fortunate to only have bad rain. Lady Lake, Deland and The Villages were hit. So many people are without homes. It breaks my heart to hear of all the devastation.

 

The one thing that has me more upset, is that rescue workers in many areas are not able to get thru because some dumb people are riding around taking pictures. They weren't hurt or anything, just nosey. That makes me sick. The TV and radio are asking people to stay off the road, but these jerks feel they need to see the damage in person. How totally inconsiderate.

 

Sorry, I had to vent because there are people dead and these others have no thought of rescuers or anything but themselves.

 

Katie

 

Sound like after Hurricane Charley

[threeofus]

That's horrible. Obviously I care about the dead and please don't think that I am insensitive, but is this storm going to effect the Super Bowl or any cruise lines leaving this weekend? I am not exactly sure where the storm occured and my Florida geography isn't the best. Thanks.

 

The superbowl will be fine....Miami is in South Florida and the storms were in Central Florida.

 

The only port in close proximity is Port Canaveral and as far as I know there was no damage.

[Cathomas]

The superbowl will be fine....Miami is in South Florida and the storms were in Central Florida.

 

The only port in close proximity is Port Canaveral and as far as I know there was no damage.

 

 

Have a co-worker form that area and he said that it was not bad there last night.

[QTBabyNurse]

You've got THAT right...I lived through the eye of Hurricane Charley and our county had to actually close the borders to the county because of that very same thing. They had roadblocks up and didn't let anyone through except residents for quite some time.

Sound like after Hurricane Charley

[Suzanne74]

I think it slightly went thru the Tampa port too but it seems to be fine.

 

My heart and prayers go out to those families. I couldn't imagine how they pick up and move on.

 

Honestly, you couldn't pay me enough money in the world to live in Florida, esp in an RV. The insurance rates must be going thru the roof down there.

[PH8]

I live in Marion county(500 homes damaged here)..the Villages is about 13 miles south of us.................we had REALLY bad thunder and lightning last night.........Fortunately we were spared the horror of the tornadoes........

 

Hard to believe all the devastation that I see on the TV..........not only mobile homes,but site built homes too............not to mention that church that was demolished............it had been built to withstand the hurricanes,,,,,,,,

 

Very,very sad indeed..................

 

Then this morning, the tornadoes hit down in the Brevard area,..........just about the same time people were disembarking and embarking the Sovereign,which is in that general area...............can you imagine driving thru all that??????????????/

[StormGoddess]

I'm in Seminole County, pretty much right between Orlando and Deland. Last night, I sat outside listening to the wind get increasingly worse by the moment, while tornado watches and warnings went off for various parts of central Florida for hours. I awoke this am to extrememly torrential rain coming and going and even more increased winds. I heard a few hours later about the damages that occured. I thank my lucky stars (though I do pray for those affected) as I went through the center of Charlie and 2 more that year. Then a few the following year.

 

Yes the Villages were hit and 14 are confirmed dead at this time.

[gadaboutgal]

We live in The Villages, Sumter County, Florida. Our home is about 2 miles from the major damage. We are still in awe at what we see. It is the newest portion of The Villages that was hit by the tornado(s?). It is really shocking how much damage a tornado can do in its path and yet leave everything else just fine.

The primary highway from Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral (I 4) was closed earlier this morning due to tornado damage to trees and vehicles. I pray that all our cruisers arrived safe to the port.

[katiel53]

I live in St. Cloud and it was rather bad this morning, but not as bad as the other places. If people remember back in 1999 a tornado came through the Kissimmee area and did a lot of the same damage. People always talk about hurricanes here, but tornados there is no way to plan and this is the second time in 7 seven years one has hit the Central Florida area in the middle of the night.

 

I also live in St. Cloud. My dad lives in BVL and that's where the tornado took out part of Kissimmee in 1999. I think it was in February too, but I'm not sure. I remember when we first had a condo in Orlando that there were tornado warnings and they scared the heck out of me.

 

All we can do is pray for those who have no homes and have lost everything.

 

Katie

[AFT_LOVER]

as a man who is the only house on a street in your county that was unscathed. He is taking in as many as he can, has the BBQ going for the food that will spoil, so all will eat good! His street looks like IRAQ! Just like bombs were blowing up everything but his house.

 

God Bless You & everyone who had to rebuild.............. YIKES!

 

Love the new Govenor who has put out the statement "IF you don't live here, stay away OR ELSE! So onlookers are not welcome, roads are closed to all bu residents, even their relatives can't enter. He even has a phone number for folks to find people to repair their homes, so none of the moneygrabbers who never come back to do the work.

[nanfromatlanta]

We live in The Villages, Sumter County, Florida. Our home is about 2 miles from the major damage. We are still in awe at what we see. It is the newest portion of The Villages that was hit by the tornado(s?). It is really shocking how much damage a tornado can do in its path and yet leave everything else just fine.

The primary highway from Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral (I 4) was closed earlier this morning due to tornado damage to trees and vehicles. I pray that all our cruisers arrived safe to the port.

 

Is all of the damage in The Villages south of Lake Sumter Landing?