Tornado caught on tape in Volusia County Florida

Volusia tornado cleanup begins as residents recall frightening moments

Ludmilla Lelis

Sentinel Staff Writer

PORT ORANGE - PORT ORANGE -- In the mobile-home communities struck Friday night by a quick tornado blast, residents on Saturday were cleaning up the debris, installing tarps on their roofs and counting their blessings.

Officials confirmed that 63 homes sustained major damage or were destroyed by the storm that touched down around 6:15 p.m. in the Laurelwood Estates and Lighthouse Pointe communities. Another 91 homes sustained minor damage, including single-family homes in the Brandy Hills neighborhood.

Yet only one person suffered a minor injury, a woman cut by flying glass who didn't want to be transported to the hospital, said Port Orange Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Tonya Gilardi.

Saturday, officials from the National Weather Service toured the damage to confirm it was a tornado that struck. State emergency-management officials, city building officials and the county property appraiser's office also surveyed the damage. Port Orange Fire-Rescue crews conducted door-to-door searches and helped some residents install blue tarps on their damaged roofs.
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Volusia tornado cleanup begins as residents recall frightening moments

Tornado damages homes, injures 1, in Volusia

Susan Jacobson

Sentinel Staff Writer

12:05 AM EDT, July 25, 2009


PORT ORANGE - A tornado touched down in Port Orange on Friday night, destroying seven mobile homes and damaging dozens more, the National Weather Service in Melbourne said.

Residents reported seeing funnel clouds and at least one tornado on the ground about 6:25 p.m., a weather-service meteorologist said.

Five minutes later, the seven homes were gone, eight more were heavily damaged, 26 were moderately damaged and 122 sustained light damage.

One person received minor injuries from flying glass, the weather service said.

The touchdown was near Madeline Avenue and Nova Road in the Lighthouse Pointe, Laurelwood Estates and Brandy Hills communities.
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Tornado damages homes, injures 1, in Volusia