STUART, Fla. (WSVN) — Residents sifted through debris and scrambled for answers after a tornado caused by Hurricane Milton left a Stuart community in devastation. 

Families returned Thursday to assess the damage after the twister ripped through a mobile home park, Wednesday night. 

“It was scary,” said one man. “It was like a train just coming through.”

Resident Pat Sweitzer’s home suffered immense damage during the storm.

“It’s upsetting to know we pretty much lost everything,” she said.

Pat’s home has endured many hurricanes over the course of nearly half a century.

She said she and her loved ones were inside when they heard what sounded like a train before the chaos began.

“Many hurricanes, never had an issue,” she said. “We left one time; what was it, Francis? Yeah, we left one time, and then we stayed for Jean and were fine. And then, this. It came through and threw him into a refrigerator, and then down on the floor.” 

“It was just very sudden,” said Wayne Sweitzer. “There was, you know…”

“Really no time,” said Pat.

The tornado ripped away the roof of a middle school, as well as leaving snapped power lines and debris scattered across the ground only a few blocks away from the mobile home park. 

“Maybe rebuild, maybe build another trailer here.” Wayne said.

“I don’t think another trailer, no.” Pat said. 

Cleanup here begins, like so many other places, across the Treasure Coast. 

“I don’t know if I’ll do anything, or maybe just sell the land,” said one man.

Schools and employees in the area continue to try and assess the damage to determine what students will do starting next week. 

Many residents, however, will have to make a tough decision: rebuild or move on.

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