Residents in Central and Southwestern Florida had a rough MLK weekend when two confirmed tornadoes, both classified as EF2, ripped through the area, killing at least two and injuring several others as well as damaging or destroying dozens of homes early Sunday.
In Duette, Manatee County, an EF2 tornado with winds reaching 127 mph swept through the area killing a couple while their son and four grandchildren were injured when it slammed into their trailer home, reported the Orlando Sentinel. Records indicate that the tornado touched down at 3:45 a.m., striking the victims' home as they slept. One victim, identified as Steven Wilson, 58, was killed immediately, while his wife, Kate, later died from a heart attack after being taken to a hospital. Their son, Steven Wilson Jr., managed to pull himself out of the rubble and free his four children and as of yesterday afternoon were being treated in the hospital for non life-threatening injuries.
"I'm amazed to see anybody got out of this alive," Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube said at a news conference.
Another EF2 tornado with peak winds of 132 mph blasted a mile stretch with a width varying from 350 to 100 yards in Sarasota County. A preliminary estimate by the Sarasota Fire Rescue service indicated that 45 properties had suffered more than $3 million in damage, according to Al Jazeera.
Furthermore, the storm left 17,000 customers without power, though Florida Power and Light reported that a majority of customers would see their power restored by the end of Monday.
"Crews are responding safely and as quickly as possible to restore power," FPL said in a statement, according to USA Today. "We've added resources to help speed restoration efforts."
The southern limit of the storms was Naples, 155 miles south of Tampa, where winds reached a maximum of 80 mph.
Florida is better known for hurricanes than tornadoes, and while tornadoes aren't a rare occurrence during this time of year, they are typically most frequent during summer and autumn.
