A tornado from Hurricane Milton ripped through a Florida retirement community on Wednesday, killing multiple residents and leaving the area with a level of destruction not seen in decades, officials said.
Four people have died in St. Lucie County on Florida’s east coast, including at least one at Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, which is designed for residents 55 and older, county spokesman Eric Gill said. he said.
“We cannot confirm whether all (the four people who died) were from the Spanish Lakes area, which was the hardest hit area,” Gill told NBC News. “I don’t know if it was all four (of the dead at Spanish Lake), but I do know there were multiple people (there).”
Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce, Florida Google Maps
The tornado formed before Milton made landfall on Florida’s west coast around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
There were no evacuation orders for the area “because the actual impact of Hurricane Milton was much earlier than anticipated,” Gill said.
“One of the challenges with tornadoes is you don’t really get a warning,” he added. “I’ve worked in St. Lucie County for 21 years. I was here when Frances and Jeanne were born 20 years ago, and I’ve never seen this level of destruction since.”
Search and rescue teams continued to search areas devastated by the tornado Thursday, looking for anyone who may still be trapped under debris.
“We will not stop until we double check and triple check to make sure the people who need to be rescued are being rescued,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson said in a video message to the community.
