Tornado wreaks havoc in South Florida
MIAMI -- A tornado picked up a southbound vehicle on Florida's Turnpike near Fort Lauderdale and dropped it in the northbound lane as a line of severe storms hit the area, officials said Wednesday morning.
They said the storms tossed cars and trucks, knocked down trees and damaged some roofs in south Florida.
Broward Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said one person was injured on the turnpike. He didn't know how many vehicles were overturned in the area. The southbound lanes were closed for a time north of Fort Lauderdale.
Jachles spoke to a truck driver whose hood was ripped off by the powerful winds, CBS Miami reports.
"The wind just starting blowing in, pulled the hood completely off the semi," said David, a truck driver, according to CBS Miami.
At least six cars were damaged in the parking lot at the nearby north campus of Broward College, said Coconut Creek police spokesman Henry Cabrera. The college issued an advisory in an email urging students to take precautions shortly before the storm.
Residents in Coconut Creek saw the majority of the destruction. Tornado winds ripped through Gwendolyn Currie's pool and backyard, leaving a big mess of debris, CBS Miami reports.
"That's my paradise, supposed to be," Currie joked. Her home was one of several in the neighborhood hit by the storm. Her steel-frame pool enclosure is now a mangled mess. "I'm thinking, what in the world is that noise? And I thought the palm trees or something were hitting the window."
The patio enclosure had previously stood for 45 years.
"I went to the french doors on the side there. I looked out and couldn't believe," said Currie. "I was here by myself. I shook a little."
Miami television stations showed video of numerous downed trees, some downed power lines and other minor roof damage to condominiums and other buildings.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties earlier Wednesday. Meteorologist Arlena Moses said a team from the National Weather Service will likely survey the area later today to determine whether the damage was caused by a tornado.
She said Florida could see more heavy rain and damaging wind throughout Wednesday.