No tornado damage in Apopka (or Orlando)
Thanks to everyone who's called or emailed since news broke this morning of the devastating tornados down here in Central Florida.
The good news is that we had no damage in my hometown of Apopka, or where I work in Orlando.
The bad news is the outlying areas were hit very hard. 14 confirmed dead so far--in Lady Lake and The Villages in Lake County. The really bad news is those numbers will probably go up as rescue workers are able to reach the affected areas.
The images on our local news reports are really horrrifying. Contrary to the stereotypical images of trailer park devastation, some very substantial homes--about 500 of them counted so far--have been destroyed in a wide swath that cuts across Lake and Volusia Counties.
The latest news is Governor Crist has activated the Florida National Guard to help in the rescue/recovery efforts.
I have not heard any real news out of the DeLand area yet, other than about 20,000 people are without power. But, some firsthand radio accounts I'm listening to right now sound horrible. One guy said, "This is worse than the 4 hurricanes of 2004."
If I hear anything new, I'll post it here.
posted by wsmv at
1:39 PM
4 Comments:
Katie Couric has just announced that she will be broadcasting the CBS evening news from Central Florida tonight.
She had been scheduled to broadcast out of Miami in advance of this weekend's Super Bowl. But, the deadly tornados were deemed more newsworthy.
Sadly, the death toll has risen to 20. Hopefully, it won't go any higher.
Did anyone else see that stomach-churning footage of the deer who was injured in the storms? Our illustrious senior senator mentioned it in a press conference, and I thought he was being melodramatic. But, when I saw it myself, I understood why he was so moved . . .
A list of victims was published in today's Orlando Sentinel:
-- Brittany May, 17: She was the typical teenage girl who loved horses, John Deere memorabilia and updating her MySpace page.
-- Doris Gantner, 81: She raised six children with little money but lots of love. Her husband Albert suffered injuries and is in the hospital.
-- Charles Gordon, 20: He recently moved into the area with his fiancee and planned to marry in April.
-- Patricia DeVere, 66: Her children said she lived life to the fullest and made sure her four children did the same.
-- Clarence Clarkson, 92: He was an Illinois snowbird who loved to travel, golf and talk about the holes-in-one he shot in recent years.
-- Bernice Marshall, 88: She was a snowbird who spent her time painting, skiing and making people laugh.
-- Emily Halvorson, 77: She was a retired cosmetologist from Michigan.
-- Mary MacKinnon, 66: She was a motorcycle enthusiast who collected angels and hated storms.
-- Mike Sluss, 54, and Melinda Sluss, 49: The quiet and gentle Michael, friends say, was a craftsman known for his blacksmithing skills and knowledge of horses. Melinda was a caring mother who home schooled her children and a devoted homemaker known for her fresh-baked, whole-grain breads.
-- Donald "Scott" Lamond, 49, and Jamie Lynn Wright, 55: He died along with his girlfriend, whom he met a decade ago in Key West. Her family said she and her boyfriend were inseparable and made a living selling produce at farmers markets.
-- William "Billy" Nolan, 37, and William "Jacob" Nolan Jr., 7: Dad was a family man who was found holding his dead child. His son was a second-grade student at Spring Creek Elementary school who loved riding horses.
-- Sue Baysinger, 58, Sarah Flynn, 35, and Ashleigh Flynn, 9: Sue was a stay-at-home mom who enjoyed movies and making scrapbooks with her daughter and granddaughter.Sarah recently earned a degree and hoped to plan a casino cruise with her friends. Ashleigh was a fourth-grade student at Woodward Avenue Elementary School.
-- Donald Downing, 46, Carla Downing, 35, and David Downing, 15: "He loved to hunt and fish. He was a good ol' Florida boy," his pastor, the Rev. John Roszak, said of Donald. A mom who cared about education, Carla escorted her children to school. David, a triplet, was eager to learn, respectful and polite, says a former teacher. His sister Heather is in the hospital with injuries. His other sister, Kayla, was not at home the night the tornado hit; she was with her aunt.
If you want to help in the relief efforts, you can do what I did and make a donation thru orlandodiocese.org .
Or, if you're more adventurous, local fm radio station WTKS is hosting a fundraiser for the Central Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross at "Johnny Rotten's" on 17-92 in Sanford this Thursday at 7pm.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home