Four Killed as Twister Strikes North Florida

A tornado blasted through this north Florida town before dawn today, destroying homes and a college library, blowing off rooftops, flipping cars and leaving four people dead and 15 injured, officials said.

The tornado touched down at 4:30 a.m. just west of Madison, about 50 miles east of Tallahassee, and cut a 12-mile swath of destruction, authorities said.

“There was this huge roar and then I heard a tree crack out there and thought we were all gone,” said Marie Prince, a Madison County sheriff’s dispatcher. The tornado passed only four blocks from her office.

At least four people were killed north of town and 15 people with injuries were at Madison Memorial Hospital, Sheriff Joe Peavy said.

House-to-House Search

A house-to-house search found no more bodies, and Peavy said the death and injury count will probably stand. A man and a baby had to be freed from separate homes where they were trapped, he added.

Two of the deaths occurred in mobile homes blown apart by the tornado, and four other houses were seriously damaged as well, Madison County Civil Defense Director Bernard Wilson said.

“People survived in houses that were demolished and I don’t know how,” said Al Parsons, editor of the weekly Madison Enterprise Recorder. The houses “are just a pile of rubble and they came out with no injuries. It’s just amazing. I’m sure the damage is in the millions.”

Other Counties Help

Rescue units from adjoining counties were helping out, along with state law enforcement and forestry officials. State prisoners were also on their way to help with the cleanup, Peavy said.

The twister’s destructive path started in front of a shopping center and then proceeded straight into North Florida Junior College, where it “totaled the new library and took the roof off the auditorium,” Peavy said.

The twister blew away several homes, blew the roof off a nearby church, overturned cars and knocked down trees, Peavy said.