ORLANDO, Fla. — Severe weather moved through Central Florida on Monday, leaving behind damage in some counties. The damage surveys by the National Weather Service onhave been completed on Tuesday for the tornado in the Sanford/Lake Mary area along with the damage in DeLand in Volusia County.
- Storms leave behind damage in Central Florida
- Tornado in Marion County near I-75
- RELATED: Central Florida Weather Forecast
At least two tornadoes touched down in the area. The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down near Interstate 75 in Marion County, near Ocala.
Crews were unable to find any damage associated with the tornado that we had so much video of near Sanford. Based on radar data and all the video, they are ruling it an EF-0 near the Lake Jesup area. No exact wind estimates were given, but EF-0 tornadoes have winds of 65 to 85 mph.
The storm caused downed trees and other damage along the interstate.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office shared pictures of the damage on its official Facebook page.
“Felt the whole house shake," said Ocala resident Nathan Hughey, taking a break from cleaning debris. "Sounded like a huge vortex wind tunnel coming around.”
Hughey says he saw the tail end of a tornado that went through his property and went speeding towards I-75.
“See this big black tunnel and wind and all kinds of crap running around in it," Hughey described. "You just kind of sit up and thank God you weren’t the one in it.”
Nathan’s neighbor Laurie Roberts was at work when she got a call to come home. After seeing the damage she was in disbelief.
“No, no..no,” Laurie Roberts said, holding back tears. "But also grateful at the very same time. Just overwhelming that's all, thank God we are all safe. We are all fine.”
Neighbors, friends, and family quickly came to the properties to help with clean up, as well as help find missing livestock.
There were five homes in the area, but none suffered structural damaged.
“We’re missing a few of the baby goats," Roberts said. "They probably got swept away but thank God everything else is fine.”
On what many consider a quiet and private area tucked behind I-75, on Monday became a new common meeting place.
“This is the epitome of small town America," Hughey explained. "One person hurts, everybody comes in.”
One chainsaw, trailer and tractor at a time.
"Some of the people here, I’ve been on this road for 15 years, some of these people I have never met until today," Hughey said "But you never guessed it, you'd think we are all family.”
One big family that is fortunate to all be OK.
A tornado was confirmed in the Sanford area as well. The National Weather Service will survey the area Tuesday to determine the intensity of the story.
The survey in Seminole County will stretch from Heathrow to Sanford to Geneva, to Scottsmoor in Brevard County.
Several viewers sent video of the tornado in Seminole County.
Downed trees and power outages were reported out of DeLand. NWS crews also assessed the damage from Bethune Beach to Deland. The only damage found was wind damage west of 1792 and north of State Road 44.
The weather service says it will go out to survey damage in Volusia and Seminole counties Tuesday. The survey for Volusia County stretches from Lake Kathryn to DeLand to Edgewater.
The National Weather Service also issued tornado warnings for Orange, and Brevard counties that have expired.