Tornado’s Brief, Destructive Visit Rattles Florida Town

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. â€”  A tornado skipped through this Atlantic Coast community early Sunday, tearing whole second stories off homes. Thirty-two people were injured.

The twister caused at least $10 million worth of damage. Six storm victims remained hospitalized Sunday night, one with a broken back and another with a broken pelvis.

Firefighters had to dig some people out of seaside homes that collapsed during the storm, which struck about 1:30 a.m. EST. Thousands of customers lost power in the community just south of Daytona Beach.

“It’s a miracle no one was killed,� said Bart Hagemeyer, district director for the National Weather Service.

“The tornado was probably on the ground no more than about a minute, but you can see a clearly marked path of devastation. I would estimate the winds were about 150 mph.�

The 64-unit DiamondHead Point condominium complex on the Indian River was devastated by the storm.

Resident Roger Vayles said his wife, Sal, got up to close the window to keep rain out and was just returning to bed when the twister hit.

“It woke me up and almost sucked my wife out the window,� Vayles said. “I could see the barbecue grill on the porch take off like a bullet.�

Sal Vayles was treated for minor injuries.

“There’s numerous houses that have the roofs gone, and some two-story buildings have their whole second story just leveled,� said police spokesman Mike Brouillette.

About 200 residents of the condominium complex and surrounding neighborhoods were forced out of their damaged homes.

City officials set a sunset-to-sunrise curfew. No one except residents and emergency workers will be allowed in the area for several days.

The Red Cross opened shelters and will begin interviewing disaster victims today, spokeswoman Kelly Harrell said.

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The tornado was part of a storm front that caused problems across the Florida Peninsula on Sunday. Another twister touched down in Cape Coral in southwest Florida, causing minor damage to homes across a 2-square-mile area but no injuries.