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2010-03-30 03:15:59 - Tornado - USA EDIS CODE: TO-20100330-25516-USA
Date & Time: 2010-03-30 03:15:59 [UTC]
Area: USA, State of Florida, , Oakland Park Damage level: Moderate (Level 2)
Not confirmed information! Description: A tornado has torn trees apart, damaged houses and left roads strewn with debris. Oakland Park bore the brunt of the damage, and the twister directly affected an industrial park near Northeast Fifth Avenue. At Gary's Transmissions, a surveillance camera attached to the front of the building caught the effects of the winds and rain as the tornado tore through. A car's truck blew open and sparks literally flew over the scene as the worst passed over the area. Ronald Brown works in the area. "I thought we were going to die," he said. "It was terrible." Cindy Holmes said even though she was not there when the tornado hit, the storm shook her up. "Frighting. I'm glad I wan't here. I'm glad I waited at home before I came out." Workers needed a shop vac in their offices to suck up the water that poured in after their building suffered roof damage. They needed to drape a blue tarp to cover damage to the roof in order to keep more water from pouring in, as the rain persisted throughout the afternoon. Those inside were not sure it was a tornado at the time it hit, but they said it felt like one. "We started running around and started locking the doors because there was a lot of commotion going on," said one worker. According to reports from the National Weather Service, they confirmed a tornado touched down sometime around 12 p.m. Monday. According to the storm survey, the tornado's path cut through about five miles of land in Oakland Park. It's top wind speeds reached up to 80 miles per hour, making it a very low-end tornado, or an EF-0 on the enhanced Fujita Scale. The twister came as part of a storm that began soaking South Florida just before daybreak, ahead of a cold front. The winds and heavy rain caused damage across the area. A house on Northwest 48th Street would be seen with debris strewn across its lawn. The strong winds also tore trees up from their roots at nearby homes, in the area of Northeast 38th Street and Powerline Road. The tornado wrecked the home of Annette Brester. "Very frightening," she said. "We went to the bathroom. The whole house was shaking." Deputies had to help direct traffic in the area as debris littered streets in the storm's aftermath. Drivers had a hard time navigating through the mess, which also included some moderate flooding. The worst of rain and winds ended at about 4 p.m. According to forecasters, residents can expect gradual clearing later tonight with cooler and drier conditions.
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