How strong was the tornado that hit Port Orange?”
Weather Service Confirms EF0 Tornado Hit Port Orange Saturday, July 25, 2009 7:45:48 PM Reported By Stephanie Coueignoux, Saul Saenz, and Mark Jenkins PORT ORANGE — It’s official. The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF0 tornado tore through Port Orange Friday night, ripping up roofs, shooting aluminum siding into the trees and knocking down walls. An EF0 tornado means the tornado had 3 second gusts from 65 to 85 mph. For more information on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, click here. More than 150 homes were affected by the severe weather. Volusia County and Port Orange officials say about 60 homes between Laurelwood Estates, Lighthouse Pointe, and Brandy Hill subdivisions had major damage and are uninhabitable at the time. Three homes were destroyed. Another 91 homes have minor damage. Saturday morning volunteers with Florida’s Coast To Coast chapter of the American Red Cross provided victims of the Port Orange tornado with cleap-up kits, rakes, tarps, snacks and water as t
Around 6:12 p.m. Friday, Volusia County Fire Rescue reported treating a man who had been struck by lightning. The 52-year-old was hit near 192 Grenada Avenue in Daytona Beach and transported to a nearby hospital. His condition is unknown at this time. The storm also resulted in a number of power outages throughout Central Florida. At its peak, Progress Energy reported approximately 2,000 were without power in Volusia and Orange counties. Florida Power and Light said an additional 929 were in the dark around the cities of Port Orange and Sanford. The National Weather Service in Melbourne reports that the storm popped up quickly to the north earlier in the evening. It was caused by a “sea-breeze merger” when winds coming off both coasts met and caused the storm’s rotation. A suspected tornado damaged a total of 154 homes Friday, according to estimates by the Volusia County Property Appraiser’s office and Port Orange building officials. Three subdivisions — Laurelwood Estates, Lighthouse
