By The Diary
09 Oct 2024, 11:49 PM EDT
Authorities in St. Lucie on the east coast of Florida reported the death of several elderly people who lived in a retirement community, after a tornado prior to the arrival of Hurricane Milton destroyed their homes.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to WPTV that “multiple deaths” occurred at the Spanish Lakes Country Club, where seniors reside.
A strong tornado hit the community, before Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key on Wednesday, October 9 as a Category 3. Hours later, the National Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 2.
They did not report the number of people killed.
St. Lucie Chief Sheriff Keith Pearson said it is unclear how many people were killed and that emergency crews have deployed a search and rescue operation to each of the affected homes.
“We have dozens of homes in St. Lucie County that have been damaged, some with catastrophic damage,” St. Lucie County spokesman Erick Gill told WFLA.
The main objective of the operations is to help survivors and assess the damage.
At least 19 tornadoes were recorded in central and southern Florida this Wednesday, hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, on the west coast of Florida (USA).
DeSantins confirmed 19 tornadoes before Hurricane Milton
In a press conference held tonight, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the formation of at least 19 tornadoes was confirmed, especially in the center and south of the state.
The state emergency agency reported that in the last few hours, up to 125 homes, mostly mobile homes, have been destroyed.
Hurricane Milton is heading toward the Atlantic and could cause more damage to communities already affected by tornadoes.
With information from EFE
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