AP News, February 2nd, 2007
Severe thunderstorms tore through central Florida early Friday, destroying mobile homes and a church, lifting a tractor-trailer into the air and killing at least two people, authorities said.
Lake County sheriff's spokeswoman Christie Mysinger confirmed the deaths to WKMG-TV but did not say how they occurred. She did not immediately return phone messages left by The Associated Press.
Tornado warnings issued around midnight remained in effect, and officials were trying to determine whether tornadoes caused the damage.
Dozens of mobile homes near Lady Lake in Lake County were destroyed by the storms that hit in the middle of the night. Chairs, beds and clothes were strewn about yards, with debris hanging from trees. Some homes were tossed from their foundations, while others had their roofs ripped off.
Mike Turner, a technician with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, said it appeared at least one fatality occurred in the Lady Lake area, about 50 miles northwest of Orlando.
The Lady Lake Church of God was demolished, its pews, altar and Bibles left in a jumbled mess. The 31-year-old, steel-reinforced structure was built to withstand 150-mph winds, the Rev. Larry Lynn said.
Dozens of mobile homes near Lady Lake also were destroyed. Chairs, beds and clothes were strewn about yards, and debris hung from trees. Some homes were tossed from their foundations, while others had their roofs ripped off.
The storms moved across Sumter and Lake counties around 3:15 a.m., then moved to Volusia County, said Peggy Glitto, a weather service meteorologist.
"Radar indicated that there were tornadoes, but we're going to send someone out to assess the damage," Glitto said.
In Volusia County, another 69 homes were damaged and one injury was reported, officials said. A county medical clinic in DeLand was severely damaged, officials said.
"We're in the process of getting our arms around the damage," county spokesman Dave Byron said.
At least five crashes took place within a quarter mile of each other near Interstate 4's New Smyrna Beach exit, closing the highway for about three hours.
In one case, a semitrailer was lifted up and landed on another semi, pinning the driver in his cab, said Kim Miller, a spokeswoman with the Florida Highway Patrol. The driver did not suffer life-threatening injuries, she said.
About 20,000 customers were without power across a wide swath of central Florida, Progress Energy spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs said. Florida Power & Light reported about 200 customers without power in the DeLand area.
The state Emergency Operations Center was activated, said Mike Stone, spokesman at the state's Department of Emergency Management.
By daybreak, parishioners in Lady Lake gathered on the lot where the Church of God once stood, hugging one another and consoling Lynn. They planned to clear the debris and hold Sunday services on the empty lot.
"That's just the building," Lynn said. "The people are the church. We'll be back bigger and stronger."
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On the Net:
Florida disaster agency: http://www.floridadisaster.org/index.asp%emph _off(%)
