OCALA, Fla. (WSVN) — A front that is bringing cooler air to South Florida brought severe storms to Central Florida this weekend, including a possible tornado, leaving a nasty trail of destruction.
Several families on Saturday were displaced from an apartment complex in Ocala.
“That’s a mattress hanging out the wall. Oh, my God,” said a resident in cellphone video capturing the damage to one of the buildings.
“There’s a lot of people who are going to be needing assistance,” said another resident.
Area resident Hector Dirato was still reeling from the inclement weather, as he described winds strong enough to pick up his car outside a convenience store.
“It was just horrible, man. Out of nowhere, this freaking thing just got pitch black,” he said. “I’ve never been in — if you’ve never been through this, you better tell your people that you love them.”
The cold front brought rain, wind and tornado warnings as it moved across Central Florida, but a sped-up video suggests a tornado was to blame. The footage appears to show a funnel cloud as it crossed Interstate 75 in Ocala.
“I thought for sure I was dead, man, for sure. I thought I was going to die today, bro,” said Dirato.
The trail of destruction continued on Highway 200. Nearby roofs were destroyed, cars wrecked and trees snapped.
Wind gusts clocked in at 73 miles per hour.
A witness described a dangerous close encounter involving a driver and a tree.
“The tree actually went through her windshield; her face was all bloody. We just grabbed a coat, pulled her out of the car, covered her up,” said the witness.
A shopping plaza was also in the path of the storm. More damaged trees could be seen, as well as a tractor-trailer that had been tossed off the highway by the strong winds.
“I just feel bad for those people, honestly. It’s terrible,” said a witness.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in four counties.
As of late Saturday night, no injuries have been reported.
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