State of Emergency! Two Central Florida counties are now under that official designation one day after the Christmas Day storms spawned three tornados in Lake and Volusia Counties.
Governor Jeb Bush made the declaration yesterday for 4 counties total: Volusia, Lake, Pasco and Columbia counties.
Wednesday, State and Federal Disaster teams surveyed the damage in Volusia County.
The National Weather Service confirmed that two F2 tornados touched down in Volusia, one in DeLand and one in Daytona Beach. Damage in Volusia is estimated at $32.5 million.
Nearly 300 homes were damaged and 3,200 people were without power all over Volusia County. Florida Power and Light says it restored power to all the homes by Wednesday morning.
Daytona Beach
The damage at Emery Riddle University and at the Sutton Place Apartments well documented Wednesday, however, for some it was the first time seeing the true path of destruction the tornado cut through Daytona Beach.
Residents toured the city and some made comparisons to the 2004 hurricane season.
When Kathy Farrell arrived at Palmer Chiropractic Clinic Wednesday morning, she found it was the building in need of a serious adjustment.
"We didn't even know it hit over here. We had an appointment this morning," said Farrell of Daytona Beach.
The Christmas day twister was a clinic catastrophe. With awnings stripped away, part of the roof caved in, and a large piece of plywood dangerously dangling out front.
"Some of it is worse than the hurricanes of 2004," added Farrell.
The damage along Orange Avenue is staggering. Pearson's Grocery across the street is now boarded up and surrounded by rubble. Ribbons of metal hang from the torn roof, and long time customers and workers stand outside, unsure of what to do next.
"I just walked over here, I was on the other end of town and never came this way on Christmas day. So, yesterday morning I found out," said grocery store worker Yvette Skinner
City businesses were not immune to the tornado's path. A parking lot on Jean Street used by the police department was hit. Several of the police vehicles were damaged by falling trees.
But as bulldozers and chainsaws slash through the wreckage, one thing is clear, life along Orange Avenue may be changed forever, but it's not over.
Many were forced from their homes, 150 people had to be moved out of their apartments at Sutton Place Apartments on Nova Road after the roofs were damaged on many units.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University says it's working to replace some of the 50 planes that were either damaged or destroyed by the tornado in Daytona beach.
"Most of our planes were Cessnas so we're trying to get replacement planes from them, or from whomever, so that we can have a full fleet available for our students when they get back in January," said University spokesman Jim Hampton.
Students return to class January 10.
The university also says the F2 tornado punched holes in some campus buildings and some of those may have to be condemned.
Neighboring Daytona Beach Community college has offered to provide Embry Riddle students with classroom space.
One Daytona Beach City Commissioner says she's proud of her city's emergency response team. Commissioner Cassandra Reynolds says Daytona Beach Police and fire departments responded to the devastated areas at a moment's notice.
"You know, I really love and feel for my constituents. You feel so hopeful but you still feel blessed that you had no fatalities with all the damage that you see. It's a godsend," said Commissioner Reynolds.
Commissioner Reynolds is advising any of her constituents who need assistance to contact the city of Daytona Beach, along with other organizations like the American Red Cross and Salvation Army.
In the aftermath of the storm, we heard a lot about neighbors helping neighbors. On top of that, the United Way says lots of strangers are offering assistance to those in need. Workers at the office serving Flagler and Volusia Counties, say they were inundated with hundreds of calls Tuesday from people offering everything from their time and services, to clothing and blankets.
"Between incoming and out going calls, with five people on the phones, there were hundreds of calls in and out trying to figure out how to bring these resources together," said John Holcomb, United Way.
"Some people have gifts for whatever reason they have not given and they want to share it with these other people who have lost everything. It's incredible, just incredible to see the love come from the community," remarked Maryann Van, United Way.
If you're interested in helping, you can call the United way at 211.
There is a shelter open to help people affected by storm damage. It is located at the Daytona City Church on Bay Street.
DeLand
Wednesday, destruction still littered the streets of DeLand, but some of the people living there got a little bit of relief. A mobile command center set-up shop to help those with little left.
Devastation is every where roofs ripped off, homes' walls torn out.
"It's a war zone. So many markers and x's on the houses saying unsafe, unsafe, unsafe," said tornado victim Richard Narkawisz.
Many residents in the mobile home parks destroyed in DeLand are now homeless which is why Citizens Insurance is giving out checks on site to any policy holder who needs help.
"There supposed to give us a check for living expenses," described Sharon Stone, whose home was destroyed.
The command center came as an unexpected, but welcomed surprise.
"You see me smiling, it's a great comfort to know that someone as concerned," said Narkawisz.
While the tornado may have flattened homes, it has also brought the community closer together.
"I have some cookies and pumpkin bread, comfort food. I thought the citizens and workers could use the comfort," said Cathy Reid of DeLand.
Out of this tragedy has come a sense of unity, community and strength.
Federal and state disaster teams also inspected damage in DeLand Wednesday. A total of 5 mobile home parks were whipped apart by the storm.
Damage estimates for that area is at $2.5 million. In all, 52 mobile homes were destroyed and more than 200 homes are affected - mainly in the Orangewood Estates, Fernwood Estates, Meadowlea Estates neighborhoods, Rosewood Terrace, and Sunrise mobile home parks.
Ten people were hurt, 50 spent Christmas night in a local red cross shelter.
Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson says the damage is over a large area.
"From what I saw in the air, metal is scattered over a two-mile radius in cow pastures and the pine forest," said Sheriff Johnson.
There is a shelter open to help people affected by storm damage. It is located in DeLand at the Liberty Baptist Church on West Plymouth.
Lake County
Governor Jeb Bush declared Lake County in a State of Emergency Tuesday. Federal and state disaster teams were in Leesburg Wednesday.
The National Weather Service says an FO Tornado ripped through a mobile home park Christmas Day.
Wednesday morning residents were up early continuing the clean up process at the Brittany Estates Mobile Home Park in Leesburg.
About two dozen homes were slightly damaged. A handful suffered moderate damage. One suffered severe damage.
Homeowner Barbara Martin said, "We lost the roof and our carport is a couple of streets away now."
Martin says that despite the damage she feels it was a Christmas miracle that no one at Brittany Estates was injured in the storms.
What is the Fujita Scale?
The F-2 tornadoes in DeLand and Daytona Beach are considered strong on the Fujita scale.
That means winds are between 113 to 157 miles an hour.
Strong enough to rip off roofs, demolish mobile homes as well as snap and uproot trees.
To draw a comparison, a category three hurricane has at least 111 miles an hour winds and a category four storm has winds between 131 and 155 miles an hour.
The Fujita Scale is used to rate the intensity of a tornado by examining the damage caused by the tornado after it has passed over a man-made structure. T. Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago developed it in 1971.
F0 - Light Damage - Winds 40-72 mph - Some damage to chimneys; breaks branches off trees; pushes over shallow-rooted trees; damages sign boards.
F1 - Moderate Damage - Winds 73-112 mph - The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed; peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off the roads; attached garages may be destroyed.
F2 - Considerable Damage - Winds 113-157 mph - Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light object missiles generated.
F3 - Severe Damage - Winds 158-206 mph - Roof and some walls torn off well constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted.
F4 - Devastating Damage - Winds 207-260 mph - Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 - Incredible Damage - Winds 261-318 mph - Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters; trees debarked; steel re-enforced concrete structures badly damaged.
F6 - Inconceivable Damage - Winds 319-379 mph - These winds are very unlikely. The small area of damage they might produce would probably not be recognizable along with the mess produced by F4 and F5 wind that would surround the F6 winds. Missiles, such as cars and refrigerators would do serious secondary damage that could not be directly identified as F6 damage. If this level is ever achieved, evidence for it might only be found in some manner of ground swirl pattern, for it may never be identifiable through engineering studies.