Drone footage released Sunday showed the absolute devastation following a tornado that touched down in Crystal River, Florida.
At least three EF-2 tornadoes touched down in Florida throughout Thursday night, according to Fox35. Palm Coast, Clearwater/Dunedin, and Crystal River all experienced powerful systems, bringing wind speeds between 111 to 135 mph, the National Weather Service confirmed to the outlet.
Trees and power lines were ripped from the ground, some of which damaged homes. At least one vehicle was thrown onto its side. And there may have been a fourth possible tornado in Sarasota. Footage of the damage was shared online by AccuWeather, showing the devastation of one neighborhood.
Drone video shows the damage to homes and businesses in Crystal River, Florida, after a tornado barreled through the city at 2:26 am on Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/hKiEgOQxdN
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 15, 2023
What started as a tornadic waterspout made landfall around 2 am in the vicinity of Crystal River. The system managed to jump the U.S. 19 and Florida Highway 44, before dying off near Crystal City. (RELATED: If You Think Close-Up Tornado Videos Are Scary, Wait Till You See What Else Is Coming…)
Residents, who are used to major hurricanes, were horrified by the ordeal. “I’ll deal with flooding,” resident Anthony Gannon told WFLA. “You can flood this and you can flood this 12 feet. But I don’t ever want to deal with a tornado again.” The roof of Gannon’s home was blown off. The windows were broken, and a majority of his and his family’s belongings had been destroyed.
Another tornado in Clearwater traveled to Dunedin as it ramped up in power, starting as a tornadic waterspout before making landfall. The system existed for a full eight minutes, between 1:47 and 1:55 am, Fox35 noted.