KORONA, Fla. – At the center of damage done in Flagler County by an EF-1 tornado is where Troy Robertson lived, just off U.S. 1 in Korona.
The roof of his home is gone, and his yard is filled with all sorts of debris.
“I stayed here through three hurricanes and lost some shingles, but nothing like this,” Robertson said. “When it started taking the roof off my bedroom, me and my dogs got in the shower. Then it started raining in the shower. It didn’t last 15 or 20 seconds, then it was gone.”
National Weather Service officials said the EF-1 tornado, with winds of 110 mph, hit Flagler County early Saturday. Weather officials said the rotating weather system was on the ground for 19.66 miles.
On the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which is used to measure the intensity of tornadoes, the system was just 1 mph short of being considered an EF-2 tornado.
Quite a few crews with Florida Power and Light spent the day repairing downed power lines that spanned a stretch of nearly 20 miles.
“It started as a EF-0 tornado in Cody’s Corner,” National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist Al Sandrik said. “It was strongest in this area near U.S. 1 and (the) South Dixie Highway interchange and (it) traveled eastward through Flagler County as an EF-1.”
Early reports from the NWS said damage was limited to trees, buildings and power lines with no one killed or injured.
As for Robertson, he's not upset over what happened to him a week and a half before Christmas.
“I’m still alive,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse -- a lot worse.”